Roman Legends
by Scorpinac
Summary: Five Sailor Senshi have been blasted back to Ancient Rome - Ami & Hotaru are house slaves, Lita is a gladiator, Rini is a palace slave, and Serena is alone. Can the others find a way back to help them? STORY COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Enslaved

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And a few are in big trouble.  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 1: Enslaved  
  
Rini slowly came around. Bars. She was surrounded by bars. A girl with bright red hair  
  
down to her shoulders and emerald green eyes sat next to her on the matting of straw that was the  
  
only thing covering the floor. A simple blanket lay to one side, but that wasn't important now.   
  
There was a jostling, as if they were moving. Rini pulled herself into a sitting position and  
  
glanced beyond the bars and saw she was in a small cage on a horse-drawn cart. It was one of a  
  
large group of carts, each with four or five cages each, each one carrying two people, usually  
  
same sex, sometimes mixed. But the two were almost always the same age or within reasonable  
  
range. In her cart were three more cages, one with two four-to-six year old boys, one with two  
  
seven year old girls, and one with a five year old boy and a six year old girl.  
  
Suddenly, pain filled her mind, and she felt the small bump on her head from the sword  
  
hilt. *Bastards!* she thought, *They didn't have to hit me so hard!* As she rubbed the bump to  
  
ease the pain, she realized she wasn't wearing her white and blue dress, but a brown toga like the  
  
other prisoners. *No, not prisoners,* she reminded herself, *Slaves.* Her shoes and socks, she  
  
found, had been replaced by roman sandals. Even worse, her brooch was missing! In it's place  
  
was a three-inch diameter metal plate, with three Greek letters engraved into it, Delta in the  
  
center, and Gamma and Epsilon side by side below it. And she was wearing something new, a  
  
manacle with a chain on her right wrist. Looking at it she noticed it wasn't chaining her to the  
  
cage. The other end of the chain was on another manacle, attached to her cage-mate's left wrist,  
  
holding them together like siamese twins. A cursory glance at the other cages confirmed  
  
everyone else was chained the same way.  
  
"Are you okay?" the girl asked. "They hit you pretty hard."  
  
"I'll live," Rini said. "What happened to my clothes?"  
  
"They burned them, so they couldn't be used as evidence of you being kidnaped," the girl  
  
told her. *Drat! I'm stuck in a toga!* Rini thought.  
  
"What about my brooch? The heart shaped thing that was clipped to my bow," Rini  
  
asked.  
  
"They still have that. They said something about selling it to a jeweler at the next town,"  
  
the girl replied. Rini took that as a bit of good news. At least she could still retrieve that,  
  
hopefully. She then took a good look at the chain connecting her to the other girl. It was about a  
  
foot or so long, giving them barely enough leverage to be able to use both of their hands without  
  
whapping their arms into each other. On her manacle she noticed five letters engraved into the  
  
metal, DCVII. For a moment she wondered what they were, then realized she was looking at a  
  
Roman Numeral. VII was seven, she knew, because lower Roman numbers were still used to  
  
mark movie sequels now and again. But what was DC?  
  
Suddenly a thought occurred to her. She glanced back around at the other cages she  
  
could see. There were about a dozen carts in all, maybe more. She could really only make out  
  
the people in the first two carts ahead of her, and the next two behind, and only partially at that.   
  
Not enough to be totally sure.  
  
"My mom, the girl..woman I was with, where is she? Another cage further on?" Rini  
  
asked.  
  
"They left her out cold by the road where they took you," the five year old boy in the cage  
  
to the left answered. "Said she wasn't worth their time."  
  
"At least she's free," Rini sighed. *Nothing more I can do about it now.*  
  
"Um, what's your name?" her cage-mate asked.  
  
"Rini. My name's Rini," she answered.  
  
"I'm Salina," the girl told her.  
  
"I'm Calvinus," said one of the boys in the cage to her north west.  
  
"I'm Fredamus," Calvinus's cage-mate said.  
  
"I'm Felicia, and this is Galea," a girl in the cage to her north said.  
  
"I'm Dalia, and this is my brother, Jorus," the girl in the cage to the left told her.  
  
"So, how long have I been out?" Rini asked.  
  
"Well, it was lunch when they put you in, so about two, three hours," Salina answered.  
  
"And we started moving as soon as I was 'safe' in here?" Rini asked.  
  
"A few minutes after that, yes," Salina answered.  
  
"Hmm," Rini sighed again, and leaned back against the bars. She tried to relax, and  
  
thought on how this had happened...  
  
* * *  
  
They'd been on an evening stroll when they'd noticed it. Something weird was coming  
  
from Crossroads Junior High. So they'd gone inside to check it out. She, Serena, Lita, Ami, and  
  
Hotaru had entered the Science Room in time to see the man standing there, tinkering with the  
  
device.  
  
"What are you doing?" Serena asked. The man turned, startled. Before he could say  
  
anything, the tool in his hand brushed something on the odd device, and a blast of light suddenly  
  
surrounded them all.  
  
When she could see again, Rini saw that they were in a field of grass, in the middle of the  
  
day! More to the point, only Serena was with her. The others were missing. Serena didn't know  
  
where they were any more than Rini did. A few moments later they found a road and followed it.   
  
After a while they spotted a house, and asked a small boy wearing a blue toga there where they  
  
were.  
  
"This is the Devinsa Province," the boy had replied.  
  
"Devinsa? Province of what?" Rini asked.  
  
"The Empire of Rome, silly," the boy answered. Serena's face went ashen.  
  
"Rome? As in Ancient Rome? As in two thousand years ago Ancient Rome?" she  
  
flustered. The boy looked at her like she was insane. Just then the boy's mother came running  
  
up, and they continued down the road, unsure of what to do next. About half an hour later, they  
  
saw a caravan stopped ahead of them. As they got closer, they saw that each of the carts had  
  
cages in them, with people inside wearing more togas, only brown instead of blue. Milling around  
  
were a couple dozen men in armor that was dyed in red, brown and black, carrying big swords.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing to them?!" Rini demanded. A tall, brutish guy with slightly long  
  
brown hair and a thick, shaggy beard and mustache came up and sneered at them with mean, deep  
  
black eyes. On his belt, near his sword, was a ring with a single key on it. Serena nervously  
  
grabbed her future daughter and pulled back a step.  
  
"At the moment, we're feeding them. What's it to you, girl?" the man said.  
  
"Why are they in cages?!" Rini snapped.  
  
"Rini, be still!" Serena hissed. She had a bad feeling about this.  
  
"Because they're our wares, girl. We're slave traders," the man replied. "Now get,  
  
before I decide not to be nice!"  
  
"What?!" Rini snapped, and Serena dragged her five feet away.  
  
"Please excuse my daughter. We don't get out much," she told the man as she left. After  
  
a few moments, the man started to go back to the caravan, and Serena turned on Rini. "Rini,  
  
please try to understand. If we're where and when I think we are, then there's nothing we can do  
  
for those people. Here and now, slavery is unfortunately legal, and those soldiers are within their  
  
rights."  
  
"But caging people up is wrong!" Rini said.  
  
"I know, but they don't care," Serena said, trying to comfort the young girl.  
  
"Uh, Serena, what is a slave?" Rini asked. "I'm not really familiar with the term."  
  
"Well, a slave is someone who's bought and sold like a piece of property, and made to do  
  
various forms of servitude. Simply put, they have no freedom of their own, unless they somehow  
  
earn it, escape their masters, or someone with higher authority than their master says they're to be  
  
set free, like the Emperor," Serena explained. Rini's eyes widened as she listened, and Serena  
  
could tell the little girl's heart was breaking.  
  
"CAVINUS!" a voice yelled from a distance. Another man walked up to the first from  
  
further down the road. The new man had short gold hair and a red-gold beard and mustache,  
  
both well trimmed. His eyes were a blazing shade of brown. He came to a halt and gazed at his  
  
comrade. On his belt was a sword and a large ring full of keys.  
  
"Cephiro," Cavinus replied.  
  
"How are things down on this end here?" Cephiro asked.  
  
"About usual. A few whiners, but that's to be expected. And these two travelers turned  
  
up. The girl's a real loud mouth, but the mother's okay, knew when to leave," Cavinus reported,  
  
indicating Serena and Rini. Cephiro gave them a brief glance, then returned to Cavinus.  
  
"Everything's normal up front. Best estimates say we hit Rome in a week and a half, two  
  
if we pace ourselves. Wouldn't want to wear out the horses after all," Cephiro said.  
  
"Excellent. Any towns between here and there?" Cavinus inquired.  
  
"Three. We'll be stopping at the first in two days time for provisions. Finish feeding the  
  
wares, then get ready to depart. We leave in ten minutes," Cephiro answered. He turned to leave,  
  
then stopped and turned back to Serena and Rini. He stared at them quizzically, then walked  
  
forward. Serena stood to face him, keeping Rini to her side.  
  
"What do you want?" Serena asked. He just continued to stare, then focused his eyes on  
  
Rini for a moment before turning back to Serena.  
  
"Tell me, is that her natural color?" he asked, pointing to Rini. Serena blinked for a  
  
moment, trying to figure out what he was talking about.  
  
"Her hair?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, is it natural?" Cephiro asked again. *He's asking about my hair?!* Rini thought.   
  
Without thinking, she responded.  
  
"Yeah, it's natural. It's always been this color," Rini said.  
  
"I see," Cephiro replied, then walked back over to Cavinus. Serena turned to Rini.  
  
"What do you think that was about?" she asked.  
  
"Got me," Rini answered.  
  
"A girl with hair that's naturally a shade of pink, Cavinus. Think of what she would fetch  
  
on the market," Cephiro whispered to his friend.  
  
"Where would we put her?" Cavinus asked.  
  
"I believe Cage Three on Cart Twenty-Eight has a vacancy. The one with the red head we  
  
picked up back in Rhodes," Cephiro stated.  
  
"And the mother?"  
  
"You've seen one blond, you've seen 'em all. Leave her," Cephiro decided. He then  
  
turned and walked back over to the two girls. He put on a smile and began some charm.  
  
"Would you pretty ladies like a lift to the next village?" he asked, with a gesture toward  
  
the carts. Serena's alarms began firing loudly.  
  
"Uh, that's okay, we'll walk," she said. Something wasn't right here.  
  
"You sure? It's a long way," Cephiro said.  
  
"Yeah, we're sure," Serena confirmed. He's up to something!  
  
"At least allow us to offer you some food and water," Cephiro pushed. What was he  
  
doing??  
  
"That's okay, we can get our own," Serena turned him down again. Got to get out of  
  
here!  
  
"Well, if that's what you want," Cephiro said with false disappointment. Rini glanced to  
  
her left at that point and saw Cavinus coming up behind Serena, a club raised.  
  
"Serena! Behind you!" Rini yelled. But it was too late. Cavinus brought down the club,  
  
hard, and Serena flopped down like a ton of bricks. Rini started to move forward, but Cavinus  
  
moved up first and grabbed her by the arm. Cephiro pulled out a sword and held it blade up.  
  
"Let me go! You can't do this!" Rini yelled.  
  
"Oh, but we can. And we are," Cephiro said, the charm gone from his voice. Rini looked  
  
at him angrily, and he brought the sword down, hard, the butt of the hilt cracking loudly against  
  
Rini's head. And then the world had gone black.  
  
* * *  
  
And now she wished it hadn't come back. At least the pain was easing from her bump.   
  
And from the sounds of it, they hadn't actually opened her brooch yet, and so hadn't discovered  
  
the Imperium Silver Crystal. *Who knows what they'd do if they found that!* she thought. Just  
  
then a loud grumble filled the cage, and Rini blushed.  
  
"So," Rini said, turning to Salina, "when's dinner?"  
  
* * *  
  
Serena slowly pulled herself from the darkness back into consciousness. The last thing she  
  
could remember was Rini screaming a warning and then something hard slamming against the  
  
back of her head. A quick rub found one hell of a goose egg swelled up on the back of her skull,  
  
confirming the diagnosis: someone had knocked her out.  
  
She quickly glanced around. Only one wagon was present now, containing a small family  
  
of five: mother, father, eldest son about fourteen, middle daughter about ten, youngest son about  
  
seven or eight. The mother had raven hair down her back with dark brown, nearly black eyes and  
  
wore a red-brown dress. The father was dressed in a red semi-fancy toga, as were the boys, and  
  
had short brown hair and eyes. The eldest son had his mother's hair, but cut short like his  
  
father's, and blue eyes. The youngest son had his father's hair worn down to his chin, and his  
  
mother's eyes. The daughter had brunette hair as long as her mother's, and had her father's eyes.   
  
She wore a simple green dress.  
  
The mother and daughter were tending her, while the father and eldest son were tending  
  
the horses hitched to the wagon. The youngest son was collecting wood. Her head was still  
  
swimming, and coherent thought was having difficulty putting things together.  
  
"Are you alright, Miss? That bump looks pretty bad," the mother asked.  
  
"I'll take your word for it. Who are you?" Serena replied, trying to focus. The bump still  
  
hurt, badly.  
  
"I'm Vivian, and this is my daughter Delia. That's my husband, Thernacius Rex, and our  
  
elder son, Georgio," the mother answered.  
  
"And I'm Mikhail," said the other boy. Serena logged the names in her memory, and  
  
rubbed her eyes to maintain focus.  
  
"My name's Serena," she introduced herself. "Thanks for your help."  
  
"It was no problem, really," Vivian said. At that point Rex came up, a look of suspicion  
  
in his eyes.  
  
"Would you mind telling us what you were doing unconscious by the side of the road,  
  
Miss?" he asked.  
  
"We came across some slave traders. They hit me. Everything's blank after that till I  
  
woke up just now," Serena explained briefly.  
  
"We? You were alone," Delia said. Serena's eyes widened, and she began scanning the  
  
area frantically. The Slave Caravan was long gone, little to nothing to indicate they'd been there  
  
at all, save a few burned out fires. And Rini was nowhere to be seen!  
  
"Rini? RINI!! No, NO, NOOO!!" she wailed. Then the pain overwhelmed her and she  
  
returned to the darkness of oblivion.  
  
* * *  
  
As twilight began to usher in, the caravan came to a halt near a river. The driver of her  
  
cart and his "shotgun" guy hopped down, and joined the other slavers in preparing the evening  
  
meal. Rini caught briefly that her cart driver was called Pherinias, and his "shotgun" guy was  
  
named Paulius. Actually, Paulius was armed with a crossbow, but the term still seemed to fit.   
  
Pherinias was not pleasant to look at. His black hair was oily and unkempt, his beard and  
  
mustache weren't much better, his teeth looked terrible, and his coal black eyes just looked plain  
  
mean!  
  
A few moments later Paulius came over and tossed a few water skins into the cages for  
  
them, and Calvinus and Fredamus immediately began swapping theirs back and forth, as did Galea  
  
and Felicia. Dalia took the one given her and Jorus, and gave it over to her brother, letting him  
  
take his fill before helping herself. Salina picked up the fourth skin dropped in their cage and  
  
handed it to Rini.  
  
"Here, you take some first. You need it more than me," she said.  
  
"Thanks, Salina," Rini said, and took three deep swigs. *Man, I was thirsty,* she  
  
thought. She then handed it back to Salina and glanced over at the Slavers. It looked like dinner  
  
was going to take a little while. She thought over her situation. She was manacled to another  
  
little girl, locked in a cage, and surrounded by at least a dozen armed men, and they were only a  
  
fraction of how many there were.  
  
A quick glance at her manacle showed it had a small keyhole just above the Roman  
  
Numeral, so it could be taken off, if she had the key. Rini sat up and moved toward the door of  
  
her cage, but stopped when she felt a sudden tug of weight on her arm and heard Salina's sudden,  
  
"Ooo."  
  
"Oh, sorry, I forgot," Rini apologized, remembering how little space the chain gave them.   
  
Salina moved up to her.  
  
"That's okay," she said. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Just taking a look at the cage lock," Rini replied. She then proceeded to examine it, and  
  
found it to be at least twice the size of the manacle lock, maybe even bigger.  
  
"What're you trying to do?" Calvinus asked. Rini turned to her fellow slaves.  
  
"I need to ask you something. I saw a big ring full of keys on that Cephiro guy before he  
  
knocked me out this afternoon. Are all the keys on that?" Rini inquired.  
  
"No, just the keys to all the manacles," Dalia said, then took a swig from her skin to settle  
  
her own thirst.  
  
"And the key Cavinus has?" Rini said as she remembered that one.  
  
"We don't know. Could be for anything," Jorus said.  
  
"So, where are the keys to the cages?" Rini asked.  
  
"The drivers of each cart keeps the keys to the cages in the one he drives," Felicia  
  
answered.  
  
"So the keys to our cages are with Pherinias," Rini said. She then had another thought.   
  
"Do any of you know exactly who has my brooch?"  
  
"Cephiro probably gave it to Fernadus, his treasurer. He stays up at the front of the  
  
caravan at all times," Galea said. "Why?"  
  
"Just putting together a road map, so to speak," Rini responded. Just then Pherinias came  
  
up with Paulius to Fredamus and Calvinus's cage. He unlatched and opened a panel on the top  
  
half of the door, the bottom blocked by the cart's sideboard, and Paulius passed two plates of  
  
food into the boys, who took them. Then Pherinias closed the panel again. They repeated the  
  
procedure with Dalia and Jorus, and then with Galea and Felicia. Then they moved to Rini and  
  
Salina.  
  
"And how's our little pink haired wonder? Bump all better?" Pherinias sneered meanly at  
  
her as he unlatched and opened their panel. Paulius put in the last two plates, and then Pherinias  
  
latched them in again. Rini glanced at what they'd been given: a chunk of corn on the cob, a slice  
  
of bread, and a small hunk of meat.  
  
"Nice spread," she quipped, and began eating her corn. The two slavers left to have their  
  
own meal. Rini waited till they were off with the other Slavers before daring to speak to her new  
  
friend again.  
  
"Okay, if we can get the keys from Pherinias, we can get out of the cages, but without the  
  
keys from Cephiro we're stuck together. I suppose we could just hot foot it to the nearest town  
  
and have a blacksmith cut the manacles off, but that still leaves the problem of retrieving my  
  
brooch," Rini mused it over.  
  
"Wait a minute, you're thinking about running away?" Galea asked. "You're just asking  
  
for trouble, you know."  
  
"I don't intend to just sit here and do nothing. There has to be a way to escape," Rini  
  
rebuked.  
  
"Do you think we can all get out of here?" Fredamus asked with wide, innocent eyes.  
  
"Maybe. Depends on how we're going to get the keys," Rini answered. She then  
  
dropped her finished cob and picked up the chunk of meat and bit into it.   
  
"Why didn't you try for it just now?" Felicia asked.  
  
"Too hungry. Can't escape on an empty stomach, growling gives you away," Rini  
  
explained between bites. After a few moments she finished her meat and then picked up her  
  
bread. Once she finished that, she took the water skin and took another swig to wash it down.   
  
The others continued to eat as well, and a short time later Pherinias came and started collecting  
  
the plates via the panels. When he passed Rini and Salina's cage, she quietly handed him her  
  
empty plate, which he took. He stared at her for a moment. Nervous, Rini picked up the skin and  
  
took another drink, her eyes not leaving the slaver.  
  
"Are you planning something?" Pherinias asked. Rini quickly finished her swig.  
  
"Who, me? No, just thinking," she answered.  
  
"Well, don't," he sneered, and took Salina's plate. He then gathered the rest and left. As  
  
soon as he was gone, Rini sighed in relief.  
  
"Aren't you gonna escape?" Calvinus asked.  
  
"Not yet," Rini said. "I still need some time to think out a plan."  
  
* * *  
  
Serena slowly started to pull herself back into consciousness once more. *Man, they must  
  
have hit me harder than I thought. Must have a slight concussion.* And then her previous  
  
awakening reentered her mind completely.  
  
"RINI!!" she screamed as she shot up into a sitting position. She found she was in a small  
  
bed, adorned with what appeared to be wool sheets and blankets and three pillows. Georgio sat  
  
in a chair nearby, watching her, and his eyes had widened. She glanced around the room to see it  
  
was a simple one, furnished with the bed, a washbowl, and a small cupboard for holding clothes,  
  
atop of which sat her brooch. A door stood in the wall opposite the bed in one corner.  
  
"Who are you calling to?" Georgio asked. Serena cupped her face in her hands and began  
  
to cry.  
  
"My daughter. Those slave traders took her. They took her!" she wailed in anguish.   
  
Georgio reached over a hand and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. Just then Delia  
  
came in, and Serena glanced up at her.  
  
"You're awake again. Hold on, I'll get mother, and some clothes for you," she said, and  
  
turned and left. *Clothes? Why would I..* Serena thought, then noticed for the first time it was a  
  
little drafty. She glanced down to see she was naked, her breasts sitting exposed to the world!   
  
She shrieked and pulled the blanket up to hide herself as she shoved Georgio back.  
  
"You pervert! Why didn't you say something?!" she yelled.  
  
"Uh, well, you seemed upset. I wanted to help," Georgio tried to explain. "Besides,  
  
what's the big deal?"  
  
"You saw me NAKED!" Serena snapped at him.  
  
"So? I see my mom and sister naked in the bath lots of times. It's nothing to get excited  
  
about," Georgio replied. Serena began to fume a little as she blushed vibrantly. On the other  
  
hand, the anger was helping her regain her focus.  
  
"Just tell me what you did with my clothes," she said finally.  
  
"Well, they were all dirty from you lying in the dirt like that, so Mom stripped you when  
  
we got home and took them to be washed after she and Delia put you in bed. That was a couple  
  
hours ago. I volunteered to watch you for awhile in case you woke up again," he told her. She  
  
chewed on this. That meant he hadn't seen everything yet. Just then Delia came back in with  
  
Vivian, and a green dress like the one Delia was wearing.  
  
"Here, you can have one of my spares till your's are dry," Delia handed her the dress while  
  
Vivian ushered Georgio out. As soon as the boy was gone, Serena got out of the bed and found  
  
she was indeed completely nude, and slipped the dress on quickly. It just barely reached her  
  
knees, but it would do.  
  
"Are you alright? We checked you over after you passed out again, and couldn't find  
  
anything wrong. We did bandage your bump," Vivian said to her as she dressed. After perusing  
  
the fit and the way it looked, Serena turned to the woman.  
  
"I just wasn't completely recovered from the blow, that's all. I'll be perfectly fine in a  
  
day or so. Right now I need to find those slavers!" Serena said.  
  
"The slavers? But why?" Delia asked.  
  
"Because they have Rini! I can't just leave my daughter with them!" Serena snapped.   
  
Delia's eyes widened as she listened. Vivian rose her hand to her mouth for a moment in  
  
sympathy. Serena then retrieved her brooch and clipped it to her front.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. But they could be anywhere by now," Vivian said.  
  
"I heard that Cephiro guy saying they were headed to Rome, so that's where I'll head.   
  
Simple as that," Serena replied.  
  
"Cephiro?! Barvus Cephiro?! He's one of the most powerful slavers in the Empire!"  
  
Vivian gasped.  
  
"Ask me if I care," Serena said. At that point Rex came in, Georgio standing at the door.  
  
"I see you finally woke up. Think you'll stay with us a while this time?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think I'm okay now, more or less. Do you have a really fast horse I could  
  
borrow for a day or two?" Serena answered.  
  
"What do you need a horse for?" Rex blinked.  
  
"Her daughter was taken by Barvus Cephiro. She wants to follow him to Rome and get  
  
her back," Vivian explained.  
  
"Him. Believe me, I hate that bastard as much as you do. He took my neighbor's  
  
youngest girl, Decima, seven years ago. She was a sweet kid, deserved better. But how do you  
  
think you're going to get your's back?" Rex told Serena sincerely.  
  
"Duh, I'm gonna break her out of there!" Serena said. She wasn't going to be stopped on  
  
this. One way or another, she'd retrieve Rini!  
  
"I can go with her, to keep her safe," Georgio offered. Serena glared at him.  
  
"You just want to see me naked again, don't you?" she accused him. Georgio blushed  
  
brightly.  
  
"Well, where's your husband?" Georgio asked. *Husband?! Uh, oh, think fast!*  
  
"He's in the army, fighting in..um..Germany!" Serena said.  
  
"Germany? Do you mean Germania?" Rex asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah, just using a different name I heard somewhere," Serena said, slightly blushing  
  
at her historical mistake. At least they accepted it.  
  
"Well, I'm taking a trip to Rome in a few days. You can come with me if you like," Rex  
  
said.  
  
"A few days?! But Cephiro and Rini could be long gone by then!!" Serena exclaimed.  
  
"Perhaps. But Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian Cavinus do most of their selling in Rome  
  
this time of the year, so they may stay for a while. And there's always the possibility that if they  
  
are gone by the time we get there, they'll have sold your daughter in the city. So you'll just have  
  
to track her down," Rex told her.  
  
"Rini. . .sold? Oh, gods," Serena whispered, her eyes filling with horror at the thought of  
  
Rini being sold to someone like a stuffed animal or action figure.  
  
"In the meantime, would you like to join us for dinner?" Vivian asked.  
  
"What are you having?" Serena asked quietly.  
  
* * *  
  
As night fell, Rini and Salina lied down and pulled the blanket in their cage over them to  
  
keep warm. The slavers were still off by the campfires, and probably wouldn't come back over  
  
till daybreak. Rini began thinking over the possibilities.  
  
"Hm, too bad we're not near the front of the cart. We could just snag the keys from  
  
Pherinias while we're moving and dive out," she mused.  
  
"Yeah, except the carts behind us would see us, and we'd probably get shot with an arrow  
  
or two before we got very far," Salina commented.  
  
"Good point," Rini agreed. "We could try and get the keys after they feed us breakfast or  
  
lunch, but that wouldn't be much better. Unless we were near a forest we'd be awfully visible.   
  
And again, the arrows."  
  
"So what does that leave?" Salina asked. Rini thought it over some more. Actually, it left  
  
only one possibility. Well, two, but one didn't look so good.  
  
"We could try breaking out while we're at the next village, but for that to work the  
  
caravan would actually have to be driven into the village entirely. I don't really see that  
  
happening. So that leaves only one real option. Tell me, Salina, does the dark bother you?" she  
  
went over the next unworkable plan.  
  
"Not really. Why?" Salina answered. "You think we should try to escape at night?!"  
  
"Uh, huh. We grab the keys when they collect the plates after dinner, then run off in the  
  
dark when our visibility is really low so they can't see us enough to shoot at us accurately," Rini  
  
outlined the only feasible escape plan available.  
  
"But where do we go?" Salina asked. "And what about the manacles?"  
  
"Well, I suppose we go to the nearest town and hope the local blacksmith will cut them  
  
off without turning us in. Or we can lay low and sneak around to the front of the caravan and try  
  
to snag the keys from Cephiro and just unlock them before we pick a direction and start jogging.   
  
That would give me an opening to retrieve my brooch, though it would probably be best to just  
  
leave it where it is for the moment," Rini mused that one over.  
  
"Well, we still have time before we reach the next village, so there's no rush," Salina said.  
  
"Yeah, plenty of time to think out the kinks in the plan," Rini agreed. She looked up at  
  
the stars for a while before she spoke again. "Salina, how did you wind up like this?" she asked.  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well..."  
  
* * *  
  
Her father had lost much in his last gambling streak. Mother had died when she was born,  
  
so it was just the two of them, and her brother. But Herminias had been recruited for the war in  
  
Germania, and wasn't there. Her father, now over forty years old and with a lame foot, was  
  
becoming desperate. And then Cephiro had come to Rhodes.  
  
Father had already sold some of the land and animals. He'd been overlooking the items in  
  
the house to decide what was expendable and what wasn't. That was when their neighbor, Devin,  
  
came by. He told them that Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian Cavinus were in town. Father seemed  
  
to get an idea, and took her out to the edge of town.  
  
A little ways away from the town was a long stretch of carts with cages in them. When  
  
she saw the people in the cages, she felt sorry for them. Her father went up to the golden haired  
  
man who was talking with two others at the two lead carts, which were much more fancy than the  
  
others behind them. A pair of beautiful white Arabians were bridled near them.  
  
"Excuse me, are you Barvus Cephiro?" he asked. The man turned to face her father, his  
  
hand reaching toward the sword at his hip.  
  
"Who wants to know?" he asked. Her father gestured to her.  
  
"I'd like to know what you think of my daughter," he told him. Cephiro came up and  
  
looked her over, taking his time. "Thirty gold and she's yours," her father added. Salina's blood  
  
suddenly ran cold. Cephiro looked thoughtful and went back to the two he was talking to.  
  
"Cavinus, Fernadus, we've been made an offer," he said aloud to them. The three began  
  
whispering to each other quietly. Then the one called Fernadus stepped up into the cart for a few  
  
moments. When he came out, he carried a purple bag filled with something in one hand with a  
  
brown toga draped over that arm, and a manacle set in the other. He handed the manacles to  
  
Cephiro, who came up with the one called Cavinus who had taken the toga.  
  
"I'm in a generous mood. I'll give you fifty for her," Cephiro said. He then took a key  
  
from his chain and unlocked one of the two manacles. Her father then took her hand and pulled  
  
her forward, and Cephiro placed the open manacle on her left wrist, and quickly locked it shut  
  
even as Salina tried to pull herself away. Cephiro then took the other manacle in his hand and  
  
handed it off to Cavinus.  
  
"Just talk to my man, Fernadus, over there, and he'll get you all set. Cavinus and I will  
  
take her down to her new home till further notice," Cephiro said, and her father went up eagerly  
  
to Fernadus, and the two began talking heatedly. Cavinus began walking down along the caravan,  
  
Cephiro just behind, Salina drug just behind Cavinus by the chain.  
  
After several minutes, they reached a cart with an empty cage. Cephiro lowered the  
  
sideboard, then turned to the men nearby.  
  
"Pherinias! We have an occupant for this cage!" he called, and a really gross and mean  
  
looking man came up and looked at her.  
  
"Cute girl," he sneered.  
  
"Cavinus, Pherinias, change her," Cephiro said, and Cavinus grabbed her arm while  
  
Cephiro unlocked her manacle for a moment. He then leaned quietly against the cage while the  
  
other two men disrobed her and put her in the brown toga with the metal disc on it. Cephiro then  
  
came up and re-locked the manacle on her wrist.  
  
Pherinias then unlocked the cage and opened it completely, and Cavinus lifted her up and  
  
put her inside. While he held her in, Cephiro unlocked the other manacle and placed it around one  
  
of the bars, and locked it on. Pherinias then locked the cage shut and replaced the sideboard. He  
  
then went back over to the men milling about, and Cephiro and Cavinus took her old clothes back  
  
forward.  
  
"Have a good time," Cephiro said as he went.  
  
* * *  
  
"And that's it. That was three days ago," Salina finished, a tear in her eye.  
  
"Your own father?! Gods, that's horrible," Rini said sympathetically.  
  
"Yeah. I would have tried to escape on my own, but I was chained to the cage itself until  
  
they put you in," Salina said.  
  
"Yeah, running off with a cage hooked to your wrist would be a lot harder than with  
  
another person chained to you," Rini agreed.  
  
"Well, I did consider chopping my hand off, but I couldn't get a sword," Salina said.  
  
"That's a little excessive," Rini stated, a slight smile forming on her lips.  
  
"You think?" Salina grinned. The two chuckled lightly, then snuggled in closer and  
  
drifted off to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
"Rini! Rini! Rini!" a voice called. Rini slowly opened her eyes a bit, then started to drift  
  
back off to sleep. Suddenly something cold and wet smacked her in the face, and she shot bolt up  
  
right with a small scream of surprise.  
  
As the world came back into focus she realized she'd been hit with cold river water, by  
  
Pherinias. The one who'd been calling to her had been Salina.  
  
"Morning, sweetie," he said sneeringly, and headed off to the other men.  
  
"I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't come round," Salina said apologetically. "It's time  
  
for breakfast." Rini scanned the horizon, and saw that it was literally daybreak.  
  
"Isn't it a little early?" she asked.  
  
"They like to feed us at daybreak so they can get moving as soon as possible," Salina  
  
explained. She then yawned, showing she was still tired too. The two then used the blanket to  
  
dry Rini off as much as possible before the slavers came back with the morning meal. Her hair  
  
was still wet when they came, but the rest of her was dry. Breakfast consisted of a bowl of stuff  
  
that looked like thick oatmeal, but tasted slightly off. Rini couldn't quite place it. But food was  
  
food, and she ate what she was given, and washed it down with water from their skin, which was  
  
refilled with the others while they ate. After a few minutes, Pherinias and Paulius came around  
  
and took the skins and bowls, then shortly thereafter boarded up and the caravan began to move  
  
once more. Rini sighed. All in all, they weren't treating her badly, really. But they were keeping  
  
her in a cage and denying her freedom. And getting up at the crack of dawn was definitely evil!   
  
She had to get out of there.  
  
"Hey, Rini. You have a plan to escape now?" Fredamus asked.  
  
"I'm working on one. Right now the best option would be to escape after dinner. We  
  
have a better chance in the dark," Rini said.  
  
"What do you have in mind?" Dalia asked.  
  
"I'm thinking when Pherinias collects the dinner plates, I'll squirt him with the water skin.   
  
While's he's distracted, Salina, you can grab the keys. But hide them in the blanket for the  
  
moment, so he'll think we didn't do anything other than make a little mischief. Then, after it's  
  
nice and dark, we unlock the cage, get out, and run off," Rini outlined her current plan.  
  
"But where will we run to?" Calvinus asked.  
  
"Preferably toward the nearest village to find someone to take the manacles off," Rini  
  
said. "Afterward, I'd like to head back the way we came to try and find my mom."  
  
"So we try tonight?" Salina asked.  
  
"Give me till lunch to finish hammering out the details, but yeah, tonight sounds good,"  
  
Rini agreed.  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro sat calmly in his wagon. The chamber was simply furnished, one bed along the  
  
side, a small desk with a chair, a table with another for meals, a third chair for sitting, and a simple  
  
trunk which held a few of his worldly belongings. The bed sheets and chair paddings, like the  
  
canvas covering the wagon, were made from the finest satins around. The canvas was in a  
  
luscious red, as were the chair paddings, and the bed sheets were a beautiful green. A blue satin  
  
pillow and a brown leather blanket completed the ensemble.  
  
He currently sat in the third chair sipping a glass of wine. On the desk sat the pink-haired  
  
girl's trinket. As far as he could tell it was made from some sort of hardened clay or ceramic with  
  
a gold wing-shaped design on the top of the front. There also seemed to be some sort of crystal  
  
in the design on the front. He knew a collector in the next town he could easily hock it to for  
  
three hundred gold, easy.  
  
As for the girl herself, he'd hold on to her until he actually got to Rome. News had  
  
reached his ears through the regular channels that the Caesar Marcus Aurelius had met his end.   
  
The reports were that he'd had a heart attack. Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen! No  
  
Caesar had left the throne yet by any means other than being murdered! His money was on the  
  
new Emperor, the Caesar Commodus.  
  
Past him, the only remaining contender for the throne was his young nephew, Lucius. The  
  
rumor had it that Caesar Commodus was infatuated with his sister, Lucilla. Just what the Empire  
  
didn't need, another Caligula! Hopefully this one would be removed sooner than the last one, the  
  
Gods willing. Then it was just a matter of disposing of Lucius. An eight year old boy was so  
  
easy to get rid of, if you knew how. If need be, he could easily arrange the "disappearance" of the  
  
Caesar Commodus as well.  
  
With his connections to the Imperial Palace and the Senate, he could easily worm his way  
  
into true power over men, free and enslaved. He already had a fair amount of pull, having played  
  
the game of politics over the years to secure a certain level of power. It was just a matter of  
  
playing a few more cards.  
  
Oh, yes. Soon everything would fall into place. It was simply a matter of time. That's  
  
all.  
  
* * *  
  
Lunch consisted of another slice of bread, hunk of meat, and chunk of corn on the cob.   
  
Shortly afterward they took them out one cart at a time to let them relieve themselves. Rini ate  
  
without complaint, but wondered what Serena was doing. Was she looking for her? Did she  
  
have any idea where to go? She hoped so.  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro went through his meal with pleasure. A full steak, mashed potatoes, an ear of  
  
corn, some peas, three slices of bread, and good wine. Could it get any better than that? He  
  
heard a tap, and turned to see Cavinus pull himself up into the wagon.  
  
"You sent for me, Cephiro?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. I intend to ride ahead of the train in awhile. You'll of course be in charge until I  
  
return, which probably won't be till sometime tonight. Understood?" Cephiro said.  
  
"Any reason you're going on ahead?" Cavinus inquired.  
  
"Yes. I need to check with some of my contacts in Ferrio. Now's as good a time as any,"  
  
Cephiro explained. He stood up and went to the desk, and picked up the pink-haired girl's  
  
trinket. "I'll also be taking this in to my collector friend. I'm sure Querian will want it, if not his  
  
daughter. Either way," he said, and returned the trinket to the desk.  
  
"As you wish. Thy will be done," Cavinus agreed.  
  
"Good. Have Reginas prepare my Arabian. I leave as soon as I finish lunch," Cephiro  
  
said back.  
  
"Immediately, sir," Cavinus said, and left the wagon. Oh yes, just a matter of time.  
  
* * *  
  
When dinner came around, the caravan was stopped near a wooded area just off the river,  
  
which had been visible since morning. In fact, now that she'd been able to see it in daylight while  
  
they moved, for the last several hours it looked manmade. The woods lead off to the north and,  
  
as far as Rini could tell, toward the east. Dinner itself was more of the same, but it was food.   
  
Now came the time for the moment of truth.  
  
"You ready, Salina?" Rini asked while she munched her bread.  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be," Salina replied. The two finished their meal, and waited for  
  
Pherinias. Eventually, as evening began to wane into full night, he came and collected the plates  
  
from Calvinus and Fredamus, then from Felicia and Galea. He then came over to get Rini and  
  
Salina's cage. Rini timidly picked up their water skin and took a drink as Pherinias reached  
  
through the panel and took the plates from each of them. As he started to pull his hand out, she  
  
made her move.  
  
"Hey, Pherinias," she said. He glanced over to her, and she pointed the skin at him and  
  
squeezed with all her might, sending a small stream of water into his face. As he gurgled in  
  
reaction, Rini began giggling, as did Salina. Pherinias growled meanly as he rubbed the last of the  
  
water from his face.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" he snapped loudly.  
  
"Oh, just trying to keep entertained," Rini said innocently. Pherinias didn't lighten up, and  
  
grabbed the skin from her. He then brought up a club and reached it into the cage and smacked  
  
Rini across the cheek with it, then stomped off. He quickly collected the plates from Dalia and  
  
Jorus, then headed back to the others. Salina quickly checked on Rini, who was rubbing her  
  
cheek.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"I'll be fine. Might bruise though," Rini answered. Actually, it already was. "Did you get  
  
them?"  
  
Salina moved aside and lifted the now ruffled blanket, to show Pherinias's key ring sitting  
  
underneath it. They'd done it!  
  
"Now what, Rini?" Salina asked.  
  
"Now, we wait."  
  
And wait they did. Rini watched the slavers carefully this time around by the light of the  
  
moon, which was in the first quarter. They continued to mill about, and eventually each one lied  
  
down around one of the campfires they'd made before preparing dinner. After awhile it got cold  
  
and they bundled into the blanket, but then the slavers all got very still.  
  
"Okay, I think they're all asleep now, Salina. It's now or never!" Rini whispered to her  
  
friend. Salina got the keys and they carefully slid the first one into the lock of their cage.   
  
Carefully, they twisted it, so as not to make too much noise. After three twists in both directions,  
  
it became obvious they had the wrong key. So they repeated the procedure with the second key  
  
on the ring, but again it was the wrong one. Then they tried the third key.  
  
As they twisted it, there was a "snick, clack, pop" sound, and they pushed the top half of  
  
the cage door open.  
  
"Hey, what about us?" Galea whispered to them. Salina and Rini moved to the other side  
  
of the cage and slid the keys over to her and Felicia.  
  
"Hurry!" Rini whispered. Then she and Salina went to their cage door, and carefully  
  
climbed out and onto the sideboard. Suddenly they heard a very loud rattling, and the slavers  
  
began stirring in the distance. Rini glanced over, and could make out the two girls trying to get  
  
their cage open without caring about the noise they were making.  
  
"Drop!" Rini said, and she and Salina jumped to the ground. "Come on, let's go," Rini  
  
urged, and the two got to their feet. "Quick, this way!" Rini said, and moved toward the woods.   
  
The two quickly dove in and started making their way through as quickly as possible. Behind  
  
them they could hear some of the slavers screaming and cursing, but they didn't slow down. They  
  
just kept moving.  
  
* * *  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" Pherinias roared at Galea as she and Felicia started to  
  
get out of their cage. He swung a punch and knocked Galea back inside, Felicia pulled back by  
  
the manacles. He stared angrily at the two girls, one raven-haired with bright blue eyes, the other  
  
blond with tan-brown eyes. He then saw the keys lying on the cage floor and retrieved them.   
  
"How in Tartarus did you get these?!"  
  
"Your keys? Pherinias..." one of the other slavers growled at the man. Just then Cavinus  
  
came up, looking very displeased.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked.  
  
"We caught these two trying to get away, sir," Pherinias explained. He was still fuming  
  
himself.  
  
"They had his keys, sir," another slaver added. "Two others are missing."  
  
"What?" Cavinus said. He grabbed a torch from the slaver nearest him, and glanced at the  
  
cages, noting the emptiness of Salina and Rini's. "How...did they get...the keys?" he asked  
  
slowly.  
  
"We were just trying to find that out," Pherinias said, still mad at his own failure to worry  
  
about the possible consequences. Cavinus turned on the two girls before him and pulled his  
  
sword out. He laid it against the raven-haired girl's breastbone.  
  
"You are going to tell me _exactly_ how you got those keys, or one of you is going to  
  
die," he said angrily. Galea looked at the sword pushing into her chest, and her nerve went stone  
  
dead.  
  
"Rini, and Salina. They gave them to us," she squeaked.  
  
"Who?" Cavinus asked, still angry.  
  
"The ones in the cage next to us! The ones who got away!" Felicia screamed in utter  
  
panic. She and Galea had been together for three weeks now, and she didn't want to lose her  
  
closest friend, or herself. Pherinias winced.  
  
"Of course. When Pinky squirted me with the water skin! The red head must have taken  
  
the keys while I was gagging!" he roared in annoyance, at himself and the escaped slaves.  
  
"Pherinias..." Cavinus growled as he pulled the sword away from Galea.  
  
"Next time someone does that, I check my belt before I leave!" Pherinias continued, not  
  
really listening. "I can't believe I fell for that! Ooh, those little runts!"  
  
"Pherinias, give them three lashes each!" Cavinus snapped, and Pherinias snapped out of  
  
his self ragging and hopped to it. Cavinus then turned to the others as he sheathed his sword,  
  
locking on one in particular with mean dark brown eyes and greasy red hair that covered his head  
  
and face, and clearly hadn't been either washed or trimmed in weeks.  
  
"Taximo, get the dogs! We are not letting those two escape! Especially Pinky!! That  
  
one's worth a fortune, and I am NOT explaining why we lost her to Cephiro when he gets back if  
  
we haven't retrieved her by then!!" he roared at the top of his voice.  
  
Taximo and the others quickly moved, and soon they were headed towards the woods  
  
after their escaped goods.  
  
* * *  
  
After what felt like hours, Rini and Salina finally flopped down, exhausted. As they huffed  
  
and puffed to catch their breath, they listened carefully for the sound of anyone following them.   
  
After a few moments nothing had stirred, and they figured they were safe.  
  
"So, now what, Rini?" Salina asked between breaths.  
  
"First, we finish catching our breaths," Rini said. After a moment they started breathing  
  
normally again, and started to relax a little. "Okay," Rini started, "Which way do you think the  
  
nearest village is?"  
  
"Um," Salina said, glancing around, "I can't be sure in the dark." she continued to glance  
  
around, then pointed to her left. "That way, I think"  
  
"Anywhere but back the way we came is fine by me," Rini stated. They got up and started  
  
walking. After what felt like another hour they sat down, and looked at the manacles.  
  
"Think that we could maybe break the chain?" Salina asked. "Like with a really hard  
  
rock?"  
  
"Maybe. Wish we could've gotten the keys for these," Rini answered. Suddenly a large  
  
group of keys on a fair sized key ring lowered into their line of site and shook slightly, making a  
  
dinging noise.  
  
"Would these help?" a male voice asked.  
  
"Hey, yeah!" Rini exclaimed. What luck!  
  
"I don't believe it!" Salina said in joy. Then their faces fell hard.  
  
"But aren't these keys..." Rini started.  
  
"...kept by Cephiro?" Salina finished. The two turned and looked up to see the master  
  
slaver himself standing over them. His face, illuminated by the moonlight pushing through the  
  
leaves, was _not_ happy.  
  
"RUN!!" Rini screamed, and the two jumped up and started to bolt forward. Cephiro's  
  
hand shot forward and grabbed the chain holding them together while returning the key ring to his  
  
belt, and they came to an abrupt stop. Holding on to the chain, he drug them back through the  
  
woods to where he'd left his horse waiting in a clearing near the main road. He'd stopped in the  
  
clearing for dinner and had just finished the meal when he'd heard the rustling nearby and had  
  
gone to see what it was.  
  
He took them over to his horse, scooped them up, and put them on, Rini dangling on one  
  
side, Salina on the other, the chain quickly wrapped in a single circle around the saddle grip.   
  
Cephiro took some rope from a bag and quickly tied them both up to the horse for extra support.  
  
The horse just sat there obediently.  
  
"Cavinus is going to hear about this," Cephiro snarled. He hopped up on the horse and  
  
kicked it into a run, and bolted out onto the road, which here was surrounded by the woods. In a  
  
few moments they cleared the woods and continued down the road along the thinning woods.   
  
*So close! So damned close!* Rini thought in despair.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
It's doubtful that Rini and Salina will get off with a slap on the wrist. Be there for chapter 2:  
  
Rome.  
  
Oh, by the way, Salina is a real name. It's the name of a city in Kansas with a current population  
  
of 43,000! 'Course, I didn't know that when I named her...  
  
Comments? Praises? Flames? (Go ahead! I got MARSHMALLOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) E-mail me at  
  
Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	2. Chapter 2: Rome

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And Rini has been enslaved!  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 2: Rome  
  
After what felt like half an hour to an hour later, they road up to the Caravan, where a few  
  
bright fires had been lit back up, and for the first time Rini laid eyes on the lead carts. They were  
  
full fledge wagons! One had a bright crimson tarp, and the other was in sapphire. Cephiro  
  
brought the horse to a halt near them, and turned to a scraggly man with balding white hair and a  
  
silver beard and mustache.  
  
"Fernadus, _what_ is going on?" Cephiro demanded. *So that's Fernadus. The one who  
  
has my brooch!* Rini thought.  
  
"I think you already know, sir. Those two stole Pherinias's keys and took off. Two of  
  
the others tried to, as well, but we caught them coming out of their cage," Fernadus explained.   
  
"The other two have already been disciplined for their actions."  
  
"I should hope so," Cephiro said. "REGINAS! Find Cavinus and tell him I have the  
  
runaways! And prepare for standard discipline next to their cart!" A dark haired man with  
  
piercing coal black eyes and a thin mustache nodded and dashed down the train. Cephiro hopped  
  
off the horse and grabbed his bags.  
  
"Gerfius, Korminian, get them off and take them down to their cart, I'll be there shortly.   
  
Terrian, take care of my horse, he needs some water and rest," Cephiro barked a few more  
  
orders, then hopped up into the red tarpped wagon. Two dark looking men came up and untied  
  
them from the horse and got them off and back onto the ground. Then a third came up and  
  
walked the horse off to the wagons and began tending it.  
  
The first two took them by their free hands and took them back down the caravan towards  
  
the cart they'd been riding in. Rini quickly counted the carts as they passed them. Their escape  
  
attempt had caused quite the stir, and several fires had been relit. By the time she saw their cart  
  
again, she'd counted twenty seven carts ahead of it. And there looked to be about five more  
  
behind it. That was thirty-three altogether, plus the two lead wagons, making thirty-five.  
  
Nearby many of the slavers were assembling, some emerging from the woods with dogs.   
  
Thank god they'd gone through the river, masking their scent on the other side! About four feet  
  
from their cart two poles had been put in the ground and another across them, like a spit. Galea  
  
and Felicia were under the cross pole, their hands tied to it. Their togas had been pulled down to  
  
reveal their tops, part of them dangling on the chain holding them together. They looked really  
  
bad, not to mention passed out. Another spit set up was being positioned, and it didn't take a  
  
rocket scientist to figure out who was going to be tied to that one!  
  
Pherinias came up, looking even nastier than usual.  
  
"You two have caused us a lot of trouble! Consider yourselves lucky Cephiro isn't having  
  
you beheaded!" he yelled at them. Just then Cavinus came up behind him.  
  
"Pherinias, back down! None of us are feeling very happy right now, so cool it," he said,  
  
and the two moved away. The others finished the new "spit", and Rini and Salina were walked  
  
forward until they were under it. The slavers then pulled their arms through their togas' sleeves  
  
and raised their hands, then tied them to the crossbar above them.  
  
"Now we wait for the boss man," the one called Gerfius grunted.  
  
"Ought to be paid overtime for all this," Korminian said as they walked over to the others.  
  
A few minutes later Cephiro came up, the guy called Terrian behind him carrying a plush chair.   
  
Cephiro walked over to Cavinus and the others and stared angrily.  
  
"Mind telling me _exactly_ what happened?" he inquired.  
  
"Pherinias, from the top, please," Cavinus turned on the cart driver.  
  
"Pinky squirted me in the face with their water skin. While I was gagging on it, Red stole  
  
my keys, and when we were shutting down for the night they made a break for it," Pherinias said.   
  
"I'm sorry sir, it's my fault for not checking sooner."  
  
"Indeed," Cephiro said, and punched Pherinias in the jaw, sending the man to the ground.   
  
"Next time, you die," he added. He then turned to Rini and Salina. "Anything to say before  
  
punishment is carried out?"  
  
"It was all my idea! Punish me, not Salina!" Rini cried, desperate to spare her friend.  
  
"No! It was my idea! Punish me!" Salina snapped, thinking the same thing.  
  
"We already got a full confession out of the other two when they were flogged. The plan  
  
was Pinky's, but Red was _more_ than willing to cooperate," Cavinus said.  
  
"I see. Your willingness to sacrifice yourselves for each other is admirable. CHAIR!"  
  
Cephiro commented, then turned and walked back a few steps. Terrian instantly walked up and  
  
set the chair down facing the spit, and Cephiro took his seat. "Six lashes," he said.  
  
Rini felt her blood freeze as two burly men came up and snapped a pair of large whips in  
  
their hands. Oh, god, what were they going to do?  
  
"Which one?" Cavinus asked. Cephiro glanced at him.  
  
"Both of them," he answered, and the two burly men moved around behind the girls as he  
  
turned his attention back to them. Rini felt herself break into a cold sweat. "ONE!" Cephiro  
  
snapped, and suddenly a loud CRACK! rang in her ears as a sudden horrid pain lit up her back  
  
from something thin and sharp slapping across her bared skin. Despite her attempt not to give the  
  
slavers any pleasure out of this, Rini's eyes teared up and she let out a scream of anguish and  
  
pain. She barely registered Salina's scream, caused by the same thing.  
  
"TWO!" CRACK!  
  
"THREE!" CRACK!  
  
"FOUR!" CRACK!  
  
"FIVE!" CRACK!  
  
"SIX!" CRACK! Rini tried desperately to hold her tongue, but the pain was just too  
  
much. When it finally ended, her face was streaked in her tears of pain. Cephiro stood up and  
  
walked forward. "Try again, and next time you'll get twice as many," he told them in a voice that  
  
said it was no threat, but a promise. He snapped his fingers and Terrian grabbed the chair, and  
  
the two started to walk away. Then Cephiro stopped, and turned back.  
  
"By the way, I've sold that little trinket of yours," he said. Rini's head snapped up. *No!   
  
Not my brooch!* she thought. "Querian paid me four hundred and fifty gold for it, a hundred for  
  
the clay, a hundred for the crystal in the front, and two hundred and fifty for the diamond inside.   
  
We found it when his daughter popped it open by accident. You really should have mentioned it  
  
earlier," he continued, then chuckled evilly as he walked away. All Rini could do was cry even  
  
more.  
  
She wasn't sure when sheer exhaustion overcame pain, only that it did.  
  
* * *  
  
When she awoke, it was to the jostling of the cart. She found herself laying on her front in  
  
her and Salina's cage, Salina laying right beside her. It felt and looked like midmorning, and their  
  
toga sleeves had been pulled back over their shoulders. Her back felt like it was on fire, but had  
  
settled some since the actual flogging. Not much, but some.  
  
"Why didn't they wake us for breakfast?" Salina asked groggily.  
  
"You weren't even untied from the poles till morning. Pherinias said you were all to go  
  
hungry until dinner," Calvinus said.  
  
"No food until tonight. Figures," Rini moaned and lied her head back down on the straw.   
  
Salina did like wise. A quick glance showed Galea and Felicia were in the same boat, so to speak.  
  
"Did they do anything about our backs, or did they just throw us in here?"  
  
"Paulius and another one cleaned them and placed bandages on them before putting your  
  
togas back and returning you to the cages," Dalia told them. "He said it's standard procedure for  
  
this kind of discipline."  
  
"At least they won't get infected," Rini said. After a few hours, the caravan reached the  
  
village of Ferrio. It was a simple marketing town with three or four big farms on the outskirts.   
  
Rini forced herself up on her hands to take a good look around before her protesting back made  
  
her lay back down again. They stopped just outside the town, and lunch was served. True to his  
  
word, Pherinias didn't give anything to Rini, Salina, Galea, and Felicia, though they were allowed  
  
to relieve themselves, despite the protestations of their wounds. After he left, Dalia, Jorus,  
  
Fredamus, and Calvinus quietly gave them some of theirs.  
  
Meanwhile, the slavers purchased some extra goods and food from the villagers, stocking  
  
up on supplies to last them till Rome. After an hour all purchases were finalized and everything  
  
was being loaded. Rini considered the idea of making another escape attempt, but the pain in her  
  
back dissuaded her. It was getting better, but not very fast.  
  
When dinner came around, Rini quietly ate her meal. None of them spoke, really, and  
  
Pherinias glowered at them meanly. Though he never said it, he now hated them with a passion  
  
beyond words.  
  
* * *  
  
The following nine days became a steady routine. Breakfast at daybreak, lunch and  
  
relieving of bodily functions at midday, dinner at evening, and fair paced travel in between all. On  
  
two occasions the slavers took an extra long stop to let them bathe, which Rini found rather  
  
embarrassing since it was under constant watchful guard, yet refreshing at the same time. As a  
  
side effect, her hair had fallen out of it's normal style, and she opted to just wear it loose since she  
  
couldn't get her hands on any ties.  
  
At nightfall every day Paulius would have Pherinias open the cages so he could check their  
  
wounds, and redress them as needed. The grey eyed, pony tailed, medium brown haired Paulius  
  
was arguably the kindest one of the slavers, but Rini didn't trust him any more than any of the  
  
other slavers because of it.  
  
The caravan passed two more villages, though they didn't stop at them. Cephiro went  
  
into the third village briefly, to check with his contacts there, but there was no need to stop the  
  
whole caravan for it.  
  
As the days passed their backs healed, and the pain slowly subsided. By the fifth day after  
  
the failed escape attempt, they were able to sit up comfortably again, and Rini's bruise had come  
  
and gone. By the eighth the pain was almost negligible.  
  
Finally, twelve days after her capture, two hours after breakfast on that day, the caravan  
  
pulled up to Rome. . .  
  
* * *  
  
For Serena, the next four days on the Rex farm passed slowly. Excruciatingly slowly!   
  
They were good people, she gave them that. Vivian and Delia even bought her an additional five  
  
outfits and a bag to carry her belongings in, and Delia even let her keep the dress she'd loaned  
  
her, and despite the odd fit, Serena accepted. And Georgio had gone out of his way to try and  
  
make her feel more comfortable the whole time.  
  
But she couldn't get her mind off of Rini! Was she okay? Was she eating enough? Was  
  
she being cleaned? How were they treating her? Had she been hurt? Were they beating on her?   
  
Serena thought she just might go mad if she didn't learn any of the answers.  
  
On the sixth morning of her stay in Ancient Rome, Rex prepared a wagon, and she packed  
  
up her few belongings in this time and got aboard. It was the same wagon the family had been in  
  
when they'd found her. Serena had learned they were coming back from a visit to some relatives  
  
in the next village over at the time.  
  
Outside it looked like a plush wagon, with a well kept brown tarp displaying their middle  
  
class status, as befitted their fairly prosperous farm. But some of their income came from some  
  
well made sculpture by Vivian, who was teaching the art to Delia. Inside it had two small beds  
  
and a cot hooked up to the frame of the tarp, a small storage chest, about three feet wide by one  
  
foot long by two feet deep, and two small chairs for sitting. All in all, it was quite nice, if a little  
  
cramped. Serena placed her bag next to the chest and sat in one of the chairs. A few moments  
  
later Georgio boarded with a bag of his own, and Rex put in his own bag then went up front.   
  
Georgio placed both bags next to hers, then turned with a smile.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Serena asked.  
  
"I got Father's permission to come along. He says it's time for me to see the market in  
  
Rome anyway, as I could be in charge of the farm full time any day now," Georgio explained to  
  
her.  
  
"Uh, huh. And who'll be looking after your mother, sister, and brother?" Serena inquired.  
  
"Mikhail's old enough to take care of them, and all of the families around here look after  
  
each other anyway. And they have the sl...servants. They'll be fine," Georgio said. "Besides,  
  
I really want to be with you, Serena."  
  
"Want to be with me, or want to see my naked body?" Serena said with heavy sarcasm, letting  
  
the servat comment go - no point. What few times she'd used their family bath, she'd made sure that  
  
Georgio wasn't anywhere around. Mikhail had peeped once, but a quick smack had quickly discouraged him.  
  
But she still felt sure Georgio wanted another look no matter the price.  
  
"To be with you! Just to be with you, Serena," Georgio insisted. Rex then popped his  
  
head in from the drivers seat.  
  
"Serena, would you like to ride up here for a while?" he asked.  
  
"Sure," Serena replied, and went up to the front and slipped into the seat next to Rex.   
  
Rex took the reigns and snapped the horses into motion, and they were off. From the side,  
  
Vivian, Delia, and Mikhail watched them, and they all called out good byes to each other, and the  
  
girls and young boy wished Serena luck in her quest.  
  
After a few moments they rode out of town, and Rex spoke to the young woman currently  
  
in his charge.  
  
"You know, my son Georgio likes you," he said. "He's told me if your current husband  
  
doesn't return from the war in Germania, he'd like to help raise your daughter with you." She  
  
could swear Rex was smiling.  
  
"He said he wants to what?" Serena said with clear irritation in her voice.  
  
"He knows as long as your Darien lives he can't have you, but should your man not  
  
survive, he'd like you to consider him as an alternative," Rex said. Serena had told them about  
  
Darien, but had been careful to paint him as a Roman miner who'd been drafted into service with  
  
the Roman Legions and a loyal follower of the Caesar. She'd also explained why she and Rini  
  
had been on the road that day with a severe lack of belongings as having lost most of everything,  
  
even their house, to a band of robbers the day before, and were traveling to some relatives of their  
  
own in another province just to the north.  
  
Fortunately she'd picked up in idle conversation that the current guy using the name  
  
Caesar was someone named Marcus Aurelius, so she wouldn't have had to guess if asked if she  
  
knew. Which was fortunate because her sum knowledge of Roman Emperors came from having  
  
to read and do a book report on "I, Claudius" in eighth grade, and that was only about the five  
  
guys who immediately followed the original Caesar, Julius. And Julius was such a highly  
  
"quoted" person that she'd be amazed if anyone didn't eventually learn about him and his famous  
  
"Et tu, Brute?" upon that fateful "Ides of March" in Forty-Four B.C.!  
  
"My daughter has been stolen by slave traders, my husband is in the middle of a war, I've  
  
lost my home and most of my belongings to crooks, and _he's_ proposing to me?! I don't believe  
  
this!" Serena snapped in irritation. Seeing her nude breasts must have totally fried the poor kid's  
  
brain! "You haven't actually agreed to this, have you?!"  
  
"Georgio's sixteen now, old enough to make his own decisions. And between you and  
  
me, I think he could have chosen worse," Rex smiled.  
  
"I'll have to think about it," Serena replied. For the next two days they kept each other  
  
somewhat entertained, and Georgio was a real gentleman the whole while, trying to fill her every  
  
need! Half the time Rex would have Georgio sit with him holding a crossbow, and he did so  
  
showing with no uncertainty that he was ready and able to use the weapon. And on the third day  
  
of their journey they came to the village of Ferrio.  
  
They were passing through when Serena saw a six year old girl in a yellow, very fancy  
  
dress with long auburn hair and dark green eyes at a vegetable stand with a man in very brightly  
  
colored robes and a black cloak with deep black hair cut close to his head and very light stubble  
  
on his chin and upper lip. His eyes were a piercing blue that made your blood freeze with their  
  
coldness. But what really drew Serena's attention to them was what she saw the little girl  
  
wearing in the middle of her dress as she turned: RINI'S BROOCH!  
  
"STOP THE CART!!" she screamed, and Rex was so startled he pulled on the reigns  
  
rather hard, causing the horses to neigh in protest. As soon as the cart was halted, Serena dove  
  
off and dashed forward. Georgio emerged from behind the seat to see what was up, holding the  
  
crossbow at his side, while Rex hopped down and calmed the horses.  
  
Serena dashed blindly up to the girl and spun her around. The girl was surprised by the  
  
action, but Serena just looked closely at the decoration on the front of her dress. It was definitely  
  
Rini's brooch! Before she could grab it, however, the man with the girl pushed her away. His  
  
hands were adorned in several fancy rings.  
  
"How dare you lay hands my precious Julia!! Are you alright, my dear?" he said in anger,  
  
then turned to his girl.  
  
"That brooch, on her chest, where did you get it?!" Serena demanded as she got back up,  
  
undeterred.  
  
"Daddy bought it from Uncle Saphro a week ago," the girl answered.  
  
"Cephiro. And it was only six days," the man corrected his daughter's pronunciation.   
  
"Yes, I paid him four hundred and fifty gold for it. Well worth it for that diamond inside it. Only  
  
the very best and unique treasures for my little girl!" he continued in an arrogantly boastful  
  
attitude. It didn't even shake her.  
  
"That belongs to _my_ daughter, Rini, and I want it back!" she demanded. Rex had  
  
calmed his horses by this point, and come over to see what was up, catching the last comment. At  
  
that point the girl looked Serena over and spotted _her_ brooch.  
  
"Hey, she has another one like mine! Buy it for me, daddy!" she said, pointing to the item  
  
in question. Her father glanced at it briefly.  
  
"I'll give you seven hundred for it, twice what I paid Cephiro for the other one," he  
  
offered.  
  
"WHAT?!" Serena barked.  
  
"Terrarium Aurelius Querian! Why am I not surprised! He and Barvus Cephiro go back a  
  
long way," Rex said, identifying the arrogant collector.  
  
"Watch your tongue, farmer!" Querian snapped.  
  
"Just return the jewelry. It's obviously important to Serena and her child," Rex snapped  
  
back. He hadn't failed to notice how Serena kept constant tabs on her own brooch.  
  
"If it's so important, then where is her child?" Querian asked, trying to throw Serena off  
  
guard.  
  
"Cephiro has her," Serena replied immediately.  
  
"Wow, she must'a done somethin' real bad for you ta sell her to Uncle Saphro," Julia said  
  
offhandedly. "I'm never bad, so Daddy'll never sell me."  
  
"I didn't sell her, he stole her!" Serena snapped. Querian didn't seem to listen.  
  
"Regardless, the trinket is ours now," he stated huffily.  
  
"Querian, it is stolen goods. You know it, I know it, just return the darn thing!" Rex said  
  
as his own anger began to flair up.  
  
"Make me," Querian sneered. Something in Serena snapped from the pressure, and she  
  
grabbed the pompous ass by his cape's collar and rammed him forcefully into the vegetable stand.  
  
The act was so sudden he hadn't even had time to pull the short sword he had hidden and  
  
sheathed in his cape!  
  
"Listen, you overbearing ass! My husband's in the middle of a war zone, my child is being  
  
held as a slave, my home and belongings have been stolen or torched by bandits, and I am _not_  
  
in a good mood! You're either gonna give back the brooch or your precious Julia is gonna  
  
become a very rich _orphan_! GOT IT?!!" she screamed at him with all the anger that she felt,  
  
and felt more than ready and willing to follow through on her threat!  
  
Querian just stared with a frightened expression on his face, and Serena dropped him in a  
  
huff. She then turned and grabbed her daughter's brooch off the little girl's chest and stomped  
  
back toward the wagon.  
  
"Come on. Let's go," she said as she moved forward. Rex just grinned at Querian and  
  
returned to his cart. Georgio smiled as he helped Serena back up into her seat and then hopped  
  
around to the rear and jumped into the wagon. Rex climbed back into the driver's seat, took the  
  
reigns, and snapped the horses back into motion.  
  
As the wagon pulled out, Serena felt a renewed sense of hope well up in her. She had  
  
regained Rini's brooch, a definite step in the right direction! All that was left was to regain Rini  
  
herself.  
  
Meanwhile, Julia began whining about losing her "favoritest of my favorite jewelries!"  
  
Querian just fumed quietly. Not only had he lost a really well crafted piece of craftsmanship, but  
  
he was also out a valuable diamond as well! Try as he might, he'd been unable to remove the  
  
valued stone from the trinket as yet, and Julia had _insisted_ on wearing it _today_!  
  
Suddenly everyone around began laughing loudly, and he blinked.  
  
"What's so funny?!" he barked, trying to regain his pride.  
  
"She must have scared you real good, huh, Querian?" a salesman nearby smirked as he  
  
chuckled. Querian saw anger red, then glanced down his person, and fumed all the more when he  
  
saw just how badly the young woman had managed to humiliate him. He'd been so taken aback  
  
by her enraged outburst and attack on his person that. . .he'd wet himself.  
  
* * *  
  
The next eight and a half days went by quietly. Serena, Rex, and Georgio enjoyed each  
  
other's company greatly, but Serena's mind was always with Rini, praying for her safety and  
  
speedy return. She also prayed quietly for the others in her own time to find them soon, and get  
  
them both home. Surely Trista had noticed their shift in time by now. Why hadn't the Guardian  
  
of the Time Gate retrieved them yet?  
  
But all in all, it was a pleasant enough journey. They passed through two other villages,  
  
and Serena watched carefully for any sign of her daughter's presence. But there was no sign of  
  
her in either village. Serena, in fact, learned that Cephiro and Cavinus's Slave Caravan trotted  
  
right by the two villages without stopping, though Cephiro did come into the third village by  
  
himself for a little while.  
  
Finally, just before lunch on her seventeenth day in Ancient Rome, they reached the city of  
  
Rome itself. . .  
  
* * *  
  
As the caravan pulled into the city, Cephiro emerged from the front of his wagon to speak  
  
with his driver.  
  
"Take us straight to the main warehouse, Septimus. There'll be no stopping," he said.  
  
"Right away, sir," Septimus replied. He carefully steered through the city, aiming for the  
  
large four story complex co-owned by Cephiro and Cavinus.  
  
* * *  
  
As the caravan moved through the city, Rini watched the buildings as they went by. They  
  
ranged from two to six stories in height, composed of what looked like marble columns and  
  
blocks of various shades of green and grey, sometimes with a splash of something else. Others  
  
appeared to be made of simple brown sandstones.  
  
The people were just as varied, status denoted primarily by the fanciness and upkeep of  
  
their clothes, which ranged from ratty and tabby up to refined and elegant. The colors were just  
  
as diversified, with reds, yellows, blues, greens, purples, oranges, whites, blacks, greys, browns,  
  
pinks, turquoises, and many, many more! Some wore sashes as further denotation of their  
  
personal status.  
  
Then she noticed a large circular building just off in the distance. It was humongous! It  
  
had to be at least eight or nine stories high, the biggest building in the city! It kinda looked  
  
familiar, too, like she'd seen it in a picture. But that would mean it would still have to be around  
  
in the late twentieth century, and from what she knew, not many buildings from this period were  
  
destined to survive that long. Not in one piece anyway.  
  
That thought made her think of something, and she rose a hand to block part of the  
  
building from her sight, hiding a hunk of wall in a diagonal pattern from ground to ceiling. Now  
  
she knew she recognized it! She knew exactly what it was!  
  
"Wow! That's the Colosseum!" Rini exclaimed. Salina, who was napping next to her,  
  
stirred and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Huh? What?" she asked.  
  
"That over there! It's the Colosseum!" Rini repeated, pointing it out. Salina looked over,  
  
and her eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Wow! I never realized it was so big!" she said as she watched it pull away from their line  
  
of sight. The caravan continued to move through the city, until about half an hour later when they  
  
stopped in front of a large four story building about ninety feet long and sixty feet wide. From the  
  
outside it looked to be made of more of the usual polished marble that filled nearly half the city.   
  
It had a small opening along one side, big enough to allow passage for two people side-by-side up  
  
to about six or seven feet tall. The first two floors had small windows with bars on them. The  
  
top two had large spacious windows, a couple of them fitted with drapes. On one side at the top  
  
was what looked like a sign, but the wording was in Latin.  
  
The men started moving around frantically, like ants scattering outward from an anthill,  
  
joined by about five or six dozen that were walking around the place already. Pherinias and  
  
Paulius jumped down and joined the fray.  
  
"What do you suppose they're all doing?" Rini asked.  
  
"I don't know. Could be anything," Salina replied.  
  
"I doubt it's good for any of us," Jorus said.  
  
* * *  
  
As everyone began scattering around, Cephiro watched with satisfaction, carrying a small  
  
armload of papers under his right arm. He gazed admiringly at his sign: CEPHIRO'S AND  
  
CAVINUS'S SLAVES -- FOR SALE OR TRADE.  
  
"Okay people, as soon as the slaves are unloaded from your carts take them out back and  
  
unhitch the horses! Then put them in the stables and see that they're properly taken care of!" he  
  
barked. He didn't really need to say it per se, but it helped motivation. He then selected five men  
  
at random. "I want you to move the wagons now, okay." Next he turned to Reginas. "Reginas,  
  
you're on cart key collection."  
  
They all quickly nodded and hopped to it. Cephiro then turned to Cavinus, who was  
  
seeing to the unloading of the first cart.  
  
"Cavinus, when you're done here, meet me in my office. I'm going to check the paper  
  
work," he told his right hand man. He then turned and went inside. He went immediately to the  
  
stairwell and ascended to the third level. This level was simple, a kitchen where food was  
  
prepared for the slaves and men, a moderate meeting area where the men in his employ picked up  
  
their pay, a dining area for the men, and Fernadus's office in the southeast corner, complete with  
  
a window giving a stunning view of the Colosseum. Fernadus had told him many times how  
  
grateful he was for that view. The men, including Fernadus, had their own apartments and  
  
personal quarters throughout the city.  
  
He then continued his ascent to the top floor. Here everything was very wealthily  
  
decorated. To the north were his private quarters and the dining area. To the southwest lied  
  
Cavinus's quarters, as befitted a man of true responsibility, and in the southeast lay their private  
  
offices. The two offices were side by side, his in the actual corner, Cavinus's just to the left.   
  
Between the dining area and the offices was a sitting area for entertaining guests.  
  
The floor was decorated with six expensive sculptures, five paintings, and three fine  
  
tapestries. The furniture was made from the best wood lined with the finest leathers. The sheets  
  
in the sleeping quarters were woven from the most expensive satins and the blankets from the  
  
warmest wools. He'd spared no expense in making this floor livable.  
  
As he passed through the sitting area toward his office, a four year-old boy with near  
  
white-blond hair circling his face and bright brown eyes in an expensive red toga came running up  
  
with a big smile on his lips.  
  
"Daddy! You're home!" he squealed and dove into Cephiro's arms. Cephiro quickly  
  
tossed his papers into a nearby chair and crushed his young son in a bear hug.  
  
"Hello, Timotheos. How's Daddy's little boy?" he asked.  
  
"I'm fine. Did you get lots of good wares this time?" Timotheos replied  
  
"Oh, yes. A total of two hundred and twenty two new lots. In fact, I'd like to show you  
  
the latest acquisition. She's worth a fortune!" Cephiro told him.  
  
"Oh? And why's that, Love?" a female voice asked. Cephiro looked up to see a woman  
  
in a beautiful green dress with flowing brunette hair down to her shoulders and lovely hazel eyes  
  
standing just across the room from him. He walked over to her with their son.  
  
"Well, Decima, how many people do you know that have naturally pink hair?" he asked  
  
his wife.  
  
"Pink? And it's natural for her?" Decima asked, her eyes widening.  
  
"We washed it twice. Didn't even change in the slightest," he confirmed.  
  
"Wow! When can I see her?" Timotheos asked.  
  
"Later, after she's been moved into the building. Right now Daddy has to go over some  
  
paperwork, so why don't you run along and play, okay?" he told his son as he lowered the boy to  
  
the floor.  
  
"Okay," Timotheos said, and dashed back toward the private quarters section. Cephiro  
  
turned and stole a hug with his wife.  
  
"Miss me, Sweetheart?" he asked.  
  
"As always, Love," Decima said as she hugged back. "And you?"  
  
"You always pull me home by dragging on my heart," Cephiro replied. "You are my job,  
  
and this 'career' of mine is but a simple chore." He leaned in and snatched a kiss from her lips.  
  
"Sweet talker. Much more of that and I may melt," she said as they continued to smooch.  
  
Cephiro then pulled back slightly.  
  
"I do need to tend to my paper work, though, my dear," he said. "Double check figures  
  
and all that."  
  
"Just make sure you're in bed early tonight. I have a welcome home present," she said as  
  
she ran a finger over his chest. He grinned, and she let go and headed back toward their quarters.   
  
He turned and went back to the chair and retrieved the papers, then continued to his office and  
  
went in.  
  
In the office sat a desk with a simple plush chair in the center, and to the left of the door  
  
was a standing cupboard five and a half feet tall, four feet wide, and two feet deep, very ornate in  
  
design with a picture of the great battle fought by Hercules and his ever present companion Iolas  
  
against the terrible Hydra painted across the front. In the center was a simple key lock made out  
  
of gold. The key lay next to the ink jar upon his desk. Within the cupboard sat ten shelves  
  
spaced a half a foot apart each, each filled with three or four stacks of paper.  
  
He took the stack in his hand and laid them upon his desk, then took his seat and began to  
  
rifle through them, taking the feather pen from the ink jar to make hand notes as needed. *Hoo,  
  
boy. This could take the better part of the day.*  
  
* * *  
  
As Rini and Salina watched from their cage, the carts ahead of them were emptied of the  
  
slaves they carried, who were then lead into the building. After they were taken inside, their cart  
  
was taken off somewhere, and the driver handed his set of keys to Reginas. The process was then  
  
repeated with the next cart. After about an hour or so the slavers reached the cart two ahead of  
  
theirs.  
  
"Not long now," Rini said.  
  
"What do you suppose will happen to us inside?" Salina asked.  
  
"Could be anything, but I'm thinking transfer to another cage," Rini answered.  
  
"Well, it can't be any worse than being in here," Salina said. Just then the next cart left,  
  
and the one just ahead of them began to unload.  
  
"So, think there's even the slightest chance of making a break for it into the city when  
  
they take us out of here?" Rini asked.  
  
"Do not even try it, child," a rather calm voice said to them, and they turned their heads to  
  
see Paulius lowering the sideboard on their side of the cart. Behind them another slaver was  
  
lowering the opposite sideboard.  
  
"Wh...what do you mean?" Rini asked. She still didn't trust this guy, but he wasn't the  
  
nasty jerk wad Pherinias was.  
  
"Even if you managed to get away into the city, as soon as someone saw the medallions  
  
sewn to your clothes, you would be brought right back to us. And you already know what  
  
Cephiro has decreed your punishment to be if you try to escape again," Paulius explained.  
  
"What do the medallions have to do with it?" Salina asked as she looked at hers. Rini had  
  
wondered what was with the little metal disk with the Greek letters on it herself.  
  
"Those letters are Barvus Cephiro's Sigil. It means you are his property until someone  
  
buys you from him," Paulius said. "It is known throughout the city. You'd be back before the  
  
sun had gone down. So just behave."  
  
"So that's what it is," Rini said. Just then the cart ahead of them moved off into the  
  
distance, and Pherinias came up and unlocked Fredamus and Calvinus's cage, then moved and  
  
unlocked Dalia and Jorus's. While two other slavers got the four out, Pherinias moved around  
  
and came up to Rini and Salina's cage.  
  
"You know," he said as he stared at them nastily, "I used to live on a farm before I came  
  
to work for Cephiro. I killed many chickens with my bare hands. Just took their little heads, and  
  
twisted!" As he spoke he rose his hand and imitated the action, wrapping it around the head of a  
  
chicken, then jerked his hand as if placing the death blow. "I wonder how well it would work on  
  
a pair of little girls, with red and pink hair."  
  
"Pherinias, you know what Cephiro will do to you," Paulius warned. Pherinias turned to  
  
his fellow slaver with a glint of taunting in his eye.  
  
"And who's going to tell him?" he asked.  
  
"I will," Paulius said sternly.  
  
"Not if you're dead," Pherinias replied with an evil leer.  
  
"PHERINIAS!! Get those slaves out of their cages so we can get them inside!" Reginas  
  
called. "Don't make me bring Cephiro down here! You know how much he _loves_ to be  
  
interrupted in the middle of his paperwork!"  
  
"Just unlocking now, Reginas," Pherinias said as he turned away from Paulius and back to  
  
the cage. "Another time, dearies," he sneered at Rini and Salina as he unlocked the door. He  
  
then went over and unlocked Galea and Felicia's cage, then went over and handed the keys to  
  
Reginas, who dropped them into a small wooden box at his side.  
  
Paulius opened up the cage completely and helped the two girls out to the ground while  
  
another slaver got Galea and Felicia out of their cage. They were then ushered toward the door  
  
where Fredamus, Calvinus, Dalia, and Jorus were being taken inside. A few moments later they  
  
passed through the door.  
  
Inside, the floor was divided down the middle by a single stone wall that ended six feet  
  
from the wall that held the door they'd passed through, with five further sub-dividers every twelve  
  
feet down the ninety foot length of the building that came out ten feet on either side, and one that  
  
sat at the end of the divider. Right across from those on the walls of the building itself were  
  
further dividers equally spaced out and long. This left two ten foot wide open aisles down the  
  
building between them. All the dividers went from the floor to the ceiling, and between them  
  
were steel bars with a steel bar door in them: a series of cells for holding the slaves till further  
  
notice, seven per aisle, twenty eight in all.  
  
Near the door filling the first six feet of space from the wall was what amounted to a  
  
guard station. In the remaining ten feet between the cells and the guard station was a flight of  
  
stairs leading up.  
  
Paulius lead them over to the guard station door and opened it, showing a single man  
  
behind a desk working on some papers. Rini couldn't see the rest. The new guy was bald, clean  
  
shaven, had a pointy nose, and dark red-brown eyes. The man was writing something while  
  
talking to the slaves from the previous cart. He then handed a paper to one of the slavers and  
  
flipped another over onto a small pile on the corner of his desk, and the group was lead out.   
  
Paulius then lead them up to the man.  
  
"Lots six hundred and two to six hundred and nine from Cart Twenty-Eight," Paulius said.   
  
*Six hundred. So that's what DC stands for.* Rini thought. The man dipped his feather pen into  
  
an ink jar and wrote something down on a fresh piece of paper. He then looked at Fredamus and  
  
Calvinus.  
  
"Your name, age, and lot number," he said gruffly.  
  
"Warrium Calvinus, five, uh.." Calvinus said, then blinked. Paulius lifted his wrist and  
  
glanced at his manacle.  
  
"Six hundred two," he finished. The man at the desk dipped his pen again and sketched  
  
something down, then turned to Fredamus, who took a quick glance at the numerals on his and  
  
Calvinus's manacles before turning back to the man.  
  
"Delian Fredamus, six, six hundred and three," he said. The man again sketched  
  
something down and turned to Dalia and Jorus. Dalia quickly glanced over her and Jorus's  
  
manacles, then spoke.  
  
"Dalia and Jorus Ferrorium, he's five and I'm six, he's six hundred and four and I'm six  
  
hundred and five," she said, and the man again did the sketching down thing, then looked at  
  
Salina and Rini.  
  
"Salina Errenius, eight, six hundred and six," Salina said. Rini only gave it a moment of  
  
thought before choosing her family name.  
  
"Rini Shields, eight, six hundred and seven," she said, and the man again scribbled  
  
something down. He then looked at Galea and Felicia.  
  
"Galea Delorium, seven, six hundred and eight," Galea said.  
  
"Felicia Renorius, seven, six hundred and nine," Felicia followed up. The man sketched  
  
down the numbers on his sheet, then wrote something on a second, smaller piece of paper after  
  
dipping his pen back in the ink jar again for a moment. He then turned back to Paulius.  
  
"Cells Thirty-Five and Thirty-Six on the second floor," he said, handing him the second  
  
paper, then flipped the first onto the pile to the side. Paulius then lead them back out of the  
  
station and up the stairs. When they reached the second floor, Rini saw it was set up exactly like  
  
the first. They moved over to the second story guard station, and Paulius handed the small sheet  
  
to a guard standing just outside it's door.  
  
"These are to go to Cells Thirty-Five and Thirty-Six," Paulius told him, and the guard  
  
glanced over the sheet, then went into the station. A moment later he came out and handed two  
  
keys to Paulius, who took them.  
  
They were marched forward down the first aisle. As they walked, Rini glanced at the sub-  
  
dividers, and saw each was about four inches thick. At the fourth row down, Paulius turned and  
  
opened the cell on the right first with one of the two keys, and Fredamus, Calvinus, Dalia, and  
  
Jorus were sent inside. Paulius then locked the cell again, and turned and opened the cell  
  
opposite it, the one on the outside wall. Rini, Salina, Galea, and Felicia were sent inside, and  
  
Paulius closed and locked the cell again.  
  
"They should be bringing a meal down soon, so just relax," Paulius said soothingly, then  
  
left with the other slavers. Rini glanced around the cell. The floor was covered in more hay, and  
  
two small beds with white sheets and brown wool blankets lay on either side of the room, just big  
  
enough to hold two people each. In the center of the wall was a window, three feet high by three  
  
feet wide, with three iron bars in it. Against the wall sat four small pots, and two small tables sat  
  
next to the beds. For a moment, Rini wondered what they had pots for, then remembered that the  
  
first basic toilets used in medieval castles were still not to be invented for another thousand years  
  
or so -- those were what they would have to use! Rini and Salina moved over to the bed on the  
  
left and sat down, and Felicia and Galea took a seat on the bed on the right.  
  
"So," Galea said, "Now what?"  
  
"Frankly," Rini replied, "I just don't know."  
  
* * *  
  
Cavinus oversaw the unloading of each cart, one at a time. He noticed when Pherinias and  
  
Paulius traded heated words, but was too far away to hear them. It wouldn't surprise him to learn  
  
it had to do with their pink-haired slave girl and the one she was currently chained to. He'd heard  
  
over the last several days how Pherinias had grown to hate them for having made a fool of him  
  
that night.  
  
When the final cart was trotted off around to the back of the building, he stepped inside  
  
himself. He waited outside the first story guard station briefly, while the last of the new wares  
  
were processed. When they were lead out by their guards and taken upstairs, he went in. The  
  
man at the desk was writing something down on a clean piece of paper.  
  
"That's the last of them, Hedamus," he said. "What's the lot range?"  
  
"Well, the lots in aisle one are marked four hundred and eighty to five hundred and thirty-  
  
five. Aisle two has lots five hundred and thirty-six to five hundred and ninety-one. Aisle three on  
  
floor two is lots five hundred and ninety-two to six hundred and forty-seven. And aisle four up  
  
there has lots six hundred and forty-eight to seven hundred and three," Hedamus replied without  
  
looking up.  
  
Cavinus nodded. They'd sold many slaves in the past fifteen years of their partnership.   
  
He and Cephiro had long ago decided to assign lot numbers in ascension from the top number on  
  
the last group taken, starting over from one after reaching a thousand. The business was growing  
  
with every year, and so a secondary storehouse, three stories high, was being built in order to  
  
accommodate the increase in merchandise. It would be ready for actual use the following year.  
  
"So, all the paper work ready to bury me alive?" he asked.  
  
"Just finishing the last notes for you now," Hedamus said as he continued writing. A  
  
moment later he signed the page and returned the pen to it's jar. He then gathered up the papers  
  
in the corners, straightened them up, put the page he'd just finished on top, then handed them to  
  
Cavinus.  
  
"Thank you, Hedamus," Cavinus said, and turned to leave. Hedamus just nodded as he  
  
left. Cavinus glanced over the notes, nothing particulary pertinent. Just the usual behavior spots,  
  
noting potential trouble makers to be kept watched. He did note that Pinky wasn't in the list. He  
  
then sifted through some of the sheets and fished out the one for Cart Twenty-Eight as he walked  
  
up the first flight of stairs and turned to ascend the second.  
  
It took him only a moment to spot the pink-haired wonder. Basic description had been  
  
taken for each slave in the file entries, as recorded by Hedamus when they passed through him.   
  
She'd been placed on the second floor in Cell Thirty-Six. He blinked as he read her name. *Rini  
  
Shields? What sort of name is that?* he thought. He then shifted the papers back in order as he  
  
reached the third floor landing. He turned and went in to Fernadus's office, where the old man  
  
was going over some financial papers.  
  
"How'd we do this trip?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, very well. We bought within the expected boundaries, and what items and few  
  
wares we sold on the road aided in balancing the travel purse nicely," Fernadus said as he looked  
  
up to Cavinus. "Of course, not having to pay anything for that last girl helped immensely. And  
  
when we sell her, she should provide us with a very tidy profit above the expense of keeping her  
  
till then."  
  
"How soon can you have it all summed up?" Cavinus inquired.  
  
"Oh, I should have the reports on your desks in about an hour or so. No worries there,  
  
Cavinus," Fernadus replied.  
  
"Good. See that you do," he replied, and left the office. He then went up the last flight of  
  
stairs to the fourth floor, and immediately placed his papers on the sitting room table before  
  
turning and kneeling down to receive a hug from the two girls dashing at him. His eight year old  
  
had strawberry blond hair in two pigtails, brown eyes, and a face full of freckles. Her two year  
  
old sister had ash blond hair in a tiny ponytail and light grey eyes and the cutest dimples. He  
  
embraced them both warmly. The elder girl wore a blue dress with gold linings, and the younger  
  
wore a pink one.  
  
"How are my girls?" he asked.  
  
"We missed you, Daddy," the elder girl said.  
  
"Well, Lelia, I'm home now, and I should be staying for awhile this time," he told her.  
  
"I missed you, too, Dada," the younger quipped.  
  
"I know, Zea. I missed both of you two," he told her.  
  
"Dada, Timotheos says his Dada says you gots a girl with pink hair today. Can I see her?"  
  
Zea asked.  
  
"Maybe later, honey. Daddy has some work to do first," he replied  
  
"Is her hair really pink?" Lelia asked.  
  
"As pink as Zea's dress," Cavinus confirmed. Just then Oriana, his wife, came up. She  
  
wore her beautiful red and gold dress with the emerald lining today. Her hair was orange-red and  
  
worn straight, ending at her mid-back, and her eyes were tan brown.  
  
"Girls, go play with Timotheos. I wish to speak to your father alone," Oriana said. Lelia  
  
obediently took her sister's hand and lead her away to the personal quarters area. Cavinus rose to  
  
his feet and approached his wife. She looked at him sternly.  
  
"How old is she?" Oriana asked.  
  
"Pinky? Eight," he replied, maintaining his temper. *Here we go again,* he thought.  
  
"Another child? How many of them this time aside of her? How many have you robbed  
  
of their freedom?" Oriana asked, her voice low and clenching on obvious anger.  
  
"About thirty. Maybe less, maybe more," he answered.  
  
"Thirty? And you can just look away from it? Like it's not happening?" she asked.  
  
"She's worth a fortune, Oriana. The color's natural, it'll fetch hundreds," Cavinus stated  
  
fervently.  
  
"And are the other children worth that?" she snapped.  
  
"Cumulatively, yes. One girl was sold to us by her own father for a measly fifty gold.   
  
Fifty! We can sell her for almost three times that on open market alone," Cavinus answered.  
  
"Her _father_?! And you sat back and let him?" she said, unbelieving.  
  
"You never get this way about the adults! And we take more of them than we ever do of  
  
the children," Cavinus retorted.  
  
"There is a difference between enslaving a grown man or woman who's libel to go to  
  
prison anyway or is rotting on the streets and enslaving a child!" Oriana snapped.  
  
"Half of them _were_ rotting on the street! It's the same difference! Die there, die here,  
  
it's the same bloody thing!" Cavinus snapped back.  
  
"No, it's not! The pink haired one, did you buy her from her father, too?! Was she on the  
  
street?!" Oriana accused.  
  
"Might as well have been. Picked her up on the traveling road. All she and her mother  
  
had on them were the clothes on their backs. And the clay trinket Pinky was wearing on her odd  
  
dress," Cavinus said.  
  
"Her mother? Did you enslave her, too?"  
  
"No. We left her by the side of the road."  
  
"And she just stood there and watched?"  
  
"Not much she could do unconscious."  
  
"You just took her?!" By this point the conversation was getting loud, and a new voice  
  
clearing itself suddenly interrupted. They turned to see Cephiro in his office door.  
  
"Are you quite finished with the repartee?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, sir. Quite finished," Cavinus said, sparing his wife a glance. He then walked back  
  
to the sitting room table and retrieved his papers, then headed into Cephiro's office after his  
  
partner, who had already returned to his desk.  
  
"Tell me good news," Cephiro said as he picked up a paper from the center pile on his  
  
desk. Two smaller piles had formed to either side of it, sorted by immediate importance. The  
  
ones that would have to be handled within a few days were on the left, and the ones he had more  
  
time for were on the right. Cephiro took his pen and jotted down some more notes on the current  
  
paper and dropped it on the right pile.  
  
"The new slaves are all inside and processed. Aridimus says construction on Storehouse  
  
Two is coming along fine. And Fernadus says our finances are currently balanced," Cavinus  
  
reported. "I have the Lot Records ready for filing."  
  
"Good. I want a summary report before nightfall. Fernadus's report?" Cephiro asked.  
  
"Should be up within the hour, Cephiro," Cavinus said. "And the special project?"  
  
"All important contacts within the twelve primary provinces are ready to support us at a  
  
moment's notice. I don't think anyone believes Commodus will be Caesar for very long,"  
  
Cephiro replied. "Then it's just a matter of securing our position with those old fools in the  
  
Senate and arranging the removal of Lucius, preferably quickly and cleanly."  
  
"Of course," Cavinus said. "Becoming master of all men on Earth is never an easy thing,  
  
after all."  
  
"But when done well," Cephiro grinned at his partner, "it can be most...satisfying."  
  
* * *  
  
The rest of the day went rather slowly. Lunch came and actually consisted of a fuller  
  
piece of corn on the cob, a medium sized piece of chicken, and even some potatoes! Dinner was  
  
more of the same, and Rini and the others ate what was offered. They chatted a bit to fill some of  
  
the time, and came up with a simplistic guessing game.  
  
As night fell and they tucked in, Rini gazed out of the window at the city beyond. Torches  
  
and fires were being lit up, and against the waning twilight, it looked rather beautiful. She just  
  
wished she didn't have to see it through iron bars. After awhile, she laid down her head and  
  
drifted off to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro was going back over the papers of immediate priority when he heard the shuffling  
  
on the stairs. He glanced up, and saw Hedamus appear on the landing, looking extremely anxious  
  
about something.  
  
He rose from his desk and walked out as Cavinus emerged from his own office. Hedamus  
  
walked over agitatedly.  
  
"I just got word from Aridimus. He arrives in three days time," Hedamus said.  
  
"Who?" Cephiro asked.  
  
"The Caesar Commodus! He's coming back to Rome!" Hedamus exclaimed.  
  
"Commodus! Already?! He was only summoned away five weeks ago! What about the  
  
war in Germania?" Cavinus asked.  
  
"Over! It was won the day Marcus Aurelius died. Commodus and Lucilla come home in  
  
triumphant parade in only four days!" Hedamus said. "Several soldiers have already arrived to  
  
prepare the way for them!"  
  
"Cephiro, this could be hazardous. If he learns..." Cavinus said turning to his friend.  
  
"I doubt he will. He seems to care little for his people," Cephiro replied. "Does it matter?  
  
Die here, die in Germania, he'll still be just as deceased."  
  
"If you think so," Cavinus conceded.  
  
"Hedamus, you may return to your duties," Cephiro dismissed the guard. The man bowed  
  
and left down the stairs. "Cavinus, I've reviewed your report," Cephiro said as he turned and  
  
went back to his desk.  
  
"And?" Cavinus asked. It hadn't really taken him long to put together a quick summary  
  
of the slave records. He did it enough times that he could probably even pull it off in his sleep if  
  
he absolutely had to.  
  
"I'm going to place lots four hundred and eighty to five hundred and twenty on direct  
  
market. Lots five hundred and eighty-nine to six hundred nineteen will be sold through the  
  
auction the day after tomorrow. I believe that'll include our little pink-haired sprite, will it not?"  
  
Cephiro said as he took his pen and wrote on the page in front of him.  
  
"Yes, she's lot six hundred and seven," Cavinus replied. "Are you sure, though? I'm not  
  
sure that one flogging broke her spirit any, just slowed her down."  
  
"Do you really believe she can even hope to escape now?" Cephiro answered.  
  
"You're probably right."  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Things are not looking good for Rini at all! Be here next time for chapter 3: Auction.  
  
Comments? Praises? Flames? (Go ahead! Try it! I got a bunch of hungry Cub Scouts here with  
  
HOT DOGS!!) E-mail me at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	3. Chapter 3: Auction

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
Now Serena must reach Rome before Rini is sold as a slave!  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 3: Auction  
  
The next day was simple enough. More oatmeal sludge for breakfast at the crack of dawn  
  
followed by a guard entering and replacing the used chamber pots with clean ones. Rini was  
  
actually glad of that as they were starting to smell. Afterward they were on their own pretty  
  
much until lunch time, and resumed their guessing game for awhile.  
  
While they worked on lunch, a small voice suddenly got their attention. Turning they saw  
  
a little boy and two little girls, one about their age, the other younger than the boy, standing in  
  
front of the cell. The boy wore a fancy green tunic, and the younger girl was in a pretty red dress  
  
while the older one wore an orange one. Behind them was Cavinus and two women in expensive  
  
white dresses.  
  
"Wow! It really is pink! She's gonna get us lots!" the boy said.  
  
"She's pretty," the littler girl said.  
  
"That's right, Zea, she is," one of the women said.  
  
"Absolutely incredible," the other quipped.  
  
"She is a wonder, Decima," Cavinus agreed with the second woman. The first looked  
  
disgusted and walked off, and Cavinus turned after her. "Oriana!" he said as he followed her  
  
down the aisle.  
  
"Mama, Dada, no fight!" Zea cried, dashing after her parents.  
  
"How much do you think my daddy'll get for her?" the boy asked.  
  
"I don't know, Timotheos, but I'll bet at least six hundred!" the elder girl said.  
  
"Indeed, Lelia, indeed," Decima agreed. Some arguing could be heard in the distance, and  
  
Decima glanced over. "Your mother and father seem to be on the war path, again."  
  
"Mom just doesn't understand. It's business," Lelia dismissed the comment.  
  
"Are you done gawking at me now?" Rini asked.  
  
"Hey, she talks!" Timotheos giggled. Neither he nor Lelia had stopped smiling since  
  
they'd arrived.  
  
"We'll see how much she talks when she's sold at auction tomorrow!" Lelia said.  
  
"Auction?!" Rini gasped.  
  
"Tomorrow?!" Salina asked.  
  
"That's right, all four of you are going to sold there tomorrow," Lelia grinned wider.  
  
"All right, kids, time to go. We mustn't keep your father waiting, Timotheos," Decima  
  
said. She took the boy's hand and put her other hand on Lelia's shoulder and lead them away.   
  
The four girls in the cell just watched them go until they couldn't hear them anymore. They then  
  
looked at each other.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Felicia asked,  
  
"I think," Rini said quiveringly, "we're gonna get sold."  
  
* * *  
  
The next day several slaves were taken from their cells shortly after breakfast. After  
  
awhile, Pherinias and Paulius came up and opened their cell.  
  
"Try something funny. Please," Pherinias said with hate in his voice.  
  
"Pherinias, I'm warning you..." Paulius said sternly. The two took all four of them from  
  
the cell and down the stairs. They were then taken out the back of the building to a large pool  
  
lying behind the building and bathed thoroughly. After that was done and they were redressed in  
  
fresh togas, the manacles removed just long enough to do so, they were taken over to a line of  
  
slaves being overlooked by Cavinus.  
  
Rini noticed a long line of chain trailing down between the slaves, small metal rings  
  
connecting it to the chains holding each pair together. She noticed Fredamus, Calvinus, Dalia,  
  
and Jorus just ahead of them. Cavinus came up and lifted the chain. Using the key on his belt, he  
  
opened the next metal ring and placed it around the chain holding Rini and Salina together, and  
  
then locked it shut. Now they were part of a long string of slaves all chained together, and Galea  
  
and Felicia were added to it a moment later.  
  
After ten more slaves were washed and added to the chain, the line was moved back  
  
around to the front of the building and onto the street. They were then lead down the path in a  
  
winding pattern for about an hour until they reached an open square in a busy part of the city, and  
  
were lead over to the side of a building where they were halted on a small lawn. A small platform  
  
dominated the area, and a fairly large crowd had gathered in the square. Paulius walked down the  
  
line briefly, checking them over one last time.  
  
Rini wasn't sure if she was being really brave or just in shock, but she didn't make a sound  
  
all throughout the proceedings. Nor did Salina or her other friends around her. Cephiro took a  
  
seat nearby the platform with Fernadus, who sat at a small table with some papers on it. After  
  
another half hour of waiting around, the first two slaves were unhooked from the line and taken to  
  
the platform where Cavinus was waiting. As Rini watched, Cavinus said some stuff about the two  
  
slaves health and strength, and the gathered crowd began bidding, until the slaves were decreed  
  
sold to someone in the crowd. So focused was she that she didn't notice the extravagant coach  
  
pull up on the edge of the square and stop.  
  
The procedure was repeated until each of the slaves ahead of them were sold to one  
  
person or another. After they were brought back down from the platform, their new owner  
  
would come up to Fernadus and Cephiro to pay his bidding price and fill out a sheet of paper.  
  
Cephiro would then take a key from his chain and remove the manacles from the slaves, who had  
  
a rope promptly tied on their wrists, waist, or neck, and lead away. Sometimes both slaves in the  
  
pair would be bought by the same person, and other times they would be bought by two separate  
  
people altogether.  
  
Finally, Fredamus and Calvinus were taken up, and bought by a farmer looking for more  
  
hands. After that Dalia and Jorus were taken up. For Rini, this was the most painful moment for  
  
her. Dalia was bought by a middle-aged woman, identified as owning a brothel, and Jorus was  
  
purchased by a bartender looking for an extra waiter. She felt her heart crumble when they were  
  
finally freed of the manacles only to have ropes tied to their wrists a moment later and torn apart  
  
from each other, perhaps forever, even as they both begged not to be separated.  
  
And then she and Salina were unlocked from the line chain and taken onto the platform.  
  
As she and Salina were walked up the steps, she could hear the people in the square  
  
murmuring, muttering, whispering. And she knew it wasn't about Salina. It was about her hair!   
  
On the ground Pherinias stood nearby with loathing in his eyes.  
  
"Here we have lots six hundred six and six hundred seven. Both are in prime condition  
  
and health. A little rebellious, we've had to flog them once so far, but that was over a week ago  
  
and we've had no trouble since," Cavinus announced to the crowd as they were circled around  
  
the platform for the people to get a good look at them before being brought to the center of the  
  
stage. Cavinus then indicated Rini in specific. "Here we have a true collector's item. Multiple  
  
bathings have yielded the same result. This is her _natural_ color! That's right, her hair has  
  
_not_ been dyed, but is and will always be this shade of pink!  
  
"Now, what am I bid for these fine young slaves?!" After he finished talking bids started  
  
flying: two fifty for Rini, one seventy five for Salina, someone called five hundred even for the  
  
pair. And on and on. As the bidding continued and became more focused on her than Salina,  
  
Rini's heart slowly sank deeper.  
  
* * *  
  
The coach was a very extravagant affair, with gold and sliver worked in and through it, as  
  
befit a royal passenger. A dragon design adorned the sides, and the horses were of the finest  
  
Arabians. Within the seats were cushioned with the softest wool and sewn with the finest satin  
  
dyed in a shade of magenta, with room for up to four full grown men or women. Half a dozen  
  
royal guards sat around it, ready to keep any would-be assassins at bay. The dark blond, blue  
  
eyed eight year old Lucius Verus had insisted on going for a ride in the city, and the silver haired,  
  
brown eyed Senator Gracchus had agreed, so long as he went with him.  
  
When they passed the Slave Market, Gracchus had noted that Barvus Cephiro had  
  
returned with fresh wares, and was auctioning about forty of them off. Lucius had noted the  
  
sales, and made the driver stop so he could watch for a little while. At first it had been somewhat  
  
dull and standard fare, but then the two girls had been brought up. There was nothing overly  
  
interesting about the red-haired girl on the left, but the girl on the right immediately grabbed even  
  
the aging Senator's attention. Especially since they claimed with utmost confidence that the girl's  
  
vibrant pink hair was that shade naturally!  
  
"I like those two," Lucius said. "They're cute."  
  
"Indeed. And the one on the right is especially interesting. I wonder if they're being  
  
completely truthful or not," Gracchus mused.  
  
"Can I buy them?" Lucius asked. A bid of six hundred was made. Gracchus glanced at  
  
the boy in his charge.  
  
"Well, if you really want them. Just remember that if you do they will be your personal  
  
responsibility," Gracchus told him. Lucius thought about that, then stood up.  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro quietly sipped on a glass of wine while he sat and viewed the auction. He was  
  
quite pleased with the current sale in progress. The red-head had received a highest bid for just  
  
herself of thirteen hundred fifty, and a bid of fourteen hundred fifty had been made for the  
  
purchase of both girls together. Pinky, however, had just received a bid of seventeen hundred and  
  
thirty for her lonesome.  
  
In hindsight, he realized he probably should have taken the girl's mother after all, not to  
  
sell, but to breed. After all, if she could have one child with that shade of pink hair, why couldn't  
  
she have more? Just then a small voice called above the crowd.  
  
"Three thousand for each of them!" the voice said, and Cephiro half choked on his wine!   
  
Now he really regretted not saving the mother for breeding purposes. Then he took a look at  
  
who had made the bid, and choked even further!  
  
* * *  
  
Rini's eyes bugged out! *Three thousand..for each of us?! Oh, god, I just got sold!   
  
Wait, who said that?!* her mind raced. Her eyes began scanning the crowd as the crowd itself  
  
went dead quite, and Cavinus froze. She also thought she heard Cephiro doing a spit take over in  
  
his chair. Fernadus had also frozen. Her eyes then noticed a young boy by a really fancy coach in  
  
the back standing on something so he could be seen, presumably the coach step.  
  
"Did you not hear me? I said three thousand for each girl. Six thousand all together!" the  
  
boy called again. Did he really think he had that much money? Finally Cavinus found his voice  
  
once again.  
  
"Six thousand for both lots to Lucius Verus! Do I hear more? Anyone bidding higher?  
  
Anyone? Three thousand going once, going twice! Are there any more bids? No? Didn't think  
  
so! Sold to Lucius Verus for six thousand!" Cavinus announced, and Rini and Salina were taken  
  
from the stage.  
  
As they stood next to Cephiro and Fernadus, Rini's mind swam. So stuck was she on the  
  
fact that she'd just been sold that she didn't even listen as Galea and Felicia were taken up onto  
  
the platform and shown off to the potential buyers. A few moments later the boy came up with an  
  
elderly gentleman and two guards.  
  
"See to the payment," the boy instructed one of the guards, who moved over and spoke to  
  
Fernadus and Cephiro, as did the elderly gentleman. The boy, meanwhile, walked up to Rini and  
  
Salina.  
  
"Hi. I'm Lucius Verus, but you can just call me Lucius. I'm your new owner," he  
  
greeted them.  
  
"Yeah, we sort of gathered that," Rini said, trying to stay focused.  
  
"Do you have names? Or should I just call you Red and Pink?" Lucius asked.  
  
"M...my name is...Salina," Salina stuttered out.  
  
"I'm...Rini," Rini said quietly. Just then Cephiro came up.  
  
"Greetings, oh Lucius Verus. I humbly thank you for your patronage. But were you  
  
aware that I prefer payment on purchase?" he asked.  
  
"Relax, I shall have a man take the money to your place when I get home," Lucius said to  
  
him, then turned to the elderly gentleman. "You will see that this is arranged, Gracchus?"  
  
"Of course," Gracchus said. "I am well aware of Barvus Cephiro's address."  
  
"And yet you never visit, Senator," Cephiro turned to Gracchus. "Why is that?"   
  
*Senator? This boy's the son of a Senator?* Rini thought.  
  
"Perhaps I distrust you, Barvus. You think I do not know of your ambition and the way  
  
you have wormed your way into the pockets of four of my fellow Senators?" Gracchus replied  
  
calmly.  
  
"Everyone has to have a hobby," Cephiro said in response, and pulled up his keys and  
  
picked two in particular. He then turned and bent down to the girls and unlocked their manacles,  
  
removing them. The second guard then took a firm, but somewhat gentle, grip on their arms.   
  
The other returned with a sheet of paper which he handed to Lucius.  
  
"A bill of sale, Lucius," he said, and the boy took it. "It requires your personal signature  
  
as actual buyer of the merchandise," the guard added. Lucius went over to the table and Fernadus  
  
lent him his quill pen, which the boy used to sign the paper, and then a second copy Fernadus  
  
showed him that would be kept by the slavers for their own records. Lucius and his group then  
  
turned and walked off, taking Salina and Rini with them. A few moments later they worked  
  
through the crowd to the coach, and Lucius and Gracchus got in. After that the guard hefted Rini  
  
and Salina in as well, and Gracchus ordered the driver to proceed.  
  
"What do you think?" Lucius asked.  
  
"Nice," Rini answered. "Very...spacious."  
  
"Yeah, comfortable too," Salina agreed. Both were extremely nervous. Lucius lifted up  
  
on his knees, and whispered something into Gracchus's ear.  
  
"Very well, Lucius, if that is how you want to do it," the old man said a moment later.   
  
Lucius just sat down and grinned.  
  
* * *  
  
"Lucius Verus, Cephiro!" Fernadus said in excitement as the next two lots were sold to an  
  
elderly woman towards the side. "The next Caesar purchased slaves from _us_!"  
  
"Yes, I know," Cephiro said quietly as he watched them leave for the Prince's coach.   
  
"How interesting. How interesting."  
  
Next to the remaining slaves brought for auction, Paulius watched all with a gentle look in  
  
his eyes. *Good journey, little ones,* he thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Pherinias watched the finalizing of the girls' sale to Lucius from where he stood on the far  
  
side of the platform. As the two girls were lead away by their new owner, he quietly growled in  
  
frustration.  
  
"Don't think you've escaped me yet, Pinky. Not even the Royal Guards can save you  
  
from me," he said to himself sinisterly. "It's not over."  
  
* * *  
  
After about ten to twenty minutes, the chariot came to a halt, and the doors were opened a  
  
moment later. Lucius motioned for Rini and Salina to exit first, then he and Gracchus got out  
  
after them. Upon stepping on the ground they looked up...at a palace!  
  
"Uh...is this our new home?" Rini asked as she stared at the magnificent six story building  
  
with at least three or four wings to it in columns and walls. A dozen statues stood around the  
  
courtyard they stood in, and before them leading up to the palace doors was a flight of stairs  
  
about half that of those leading up to Hikawa Shrine.  
  
"Yes," Lucius said, smiling. Rini continued to stare at the building, something feeling off.  
  
"Um...since when does a Senator have the dough to afford digs like this?" Rini asked.  
  
"I don't live here. My estate is two miles south," Gracchus said.  
  
"Uh, I don't think Lucius is _his_ son, Rini," Salina finally managed to say something,  
  
though remained transfixed.  
  
"Of course not," Lucius said, "My father is dead. Do you not know who your owner is,  
  
girls?"  
  
"Lucius Verus, you said so earlier. Wait..," Rini replied, then something clicked. She  
  
turned to face her 'owner', as did Salina. "Lucius, was your father..the Caesar?"  
  
"No, but my mother's father is. And my uncle will succeed him soon," Lucius said,  
  
confirming the suspicion.  
  
"Rini...we were bought by the Prince of Rome!" Salina squealed.  
  
"Shall we go in?" Gracchus asked, and they marched up the stairs, flanked by the armed  
  
guards. Suddenly their consistent presence made much more sense! All but four of them  
  
remained outside as they entered the palace.  
  
Inside they saw busts, tapestries, paintings, and a couple more full statues. *Only to be  
  
expected in a royal palace,* Rini thought, noting certain comparisons to her own home in Crystal  
  
Tokyo. They were lead upstairs to the fourth floor, into a room with a bed that could rest a small  
  
giant. Also around were several toys. The guards all halted and stood outside, save one who  
  
followed them in for a moment. Gracchus left them on the second floor, for what Rini couldn't  
  
really say.  
  
"This is my room," Lucius said as he turned to them. "It will also be yours. Guard, I  
  
want two small beds brought and placed in the northwest corner at once."  
  
"You're...going to let us sleep here?" Rini asked timidly. Salina just looked on with equal  
  
curiosity. The guard bowed and left the room. The others remained where they stood outside the  
  
door.  
  
"You would prefer a cell?" Lucius asked.  
  
"No, no, this is fine," Salina shook her head vigorously.  
  
"Yeah, it's perfect," Rini said, doing likewise. They stopped after about three seconds.  
  
"Very well, then," Lucius said. "I have to attend to something, so please stay here until I  
  
return. If you need anything, food, drink, a guard will be left outside the door for you. You need  
  
but ask him, and it will be seen to." So saying, Lucius stepped out, and two guards followed him,  
  
the last staying behind.  
  
After a few minutes of glancing around the room, they sat down on the steps of the bed.  
  
"So, now what?" Salina asked.  
  
"I'm thinking we just stay put and be good for awhile," Rini answered.  
  
"We're not going to try and escape again?" Salina blinked.  
  
"No, Salina. Not now, anyway. I mean, we're in the Imperial Palace of Rome, for Pete's  
  
sake! How the heck are we supposed to get out of here?! And if we tried, I somehow doubt  
  
we'd get off with just a flogging," Rini replied. "Face it, we're stuck. Our only hope now is for  
  
someone to come and bust us out or buy us from Lucius."  
  
"What do you suppose he'll make us do?" Salina asked.  
  
"No idea. But if he wants a peep show, I may hit him, even if it means getting my head  
  
lopped off!" Rini replied.  
  
"Sure, why not! We haven't got lives to lose as is, anyway," Salina agreed. A few  
  
moments later a few men came in and took measurements of their right wrists, then left.  
  
About an hour later they asked for a meal. It was delivered moments later, a plate with a  
  
full ear of corn, a blob of mashed potatoes, and a full porkchop, as well as a full goblet of grape  
  
juice, for each of them. While they ate, the guard Lucius had sent for the beds returned with two  
  
finely made ones each about half the size of Lucius's, and half as high since they were normal  
  
beds on posts. The frames looked to made from redwood, and the mattresses looked to be of  
  
really soft wool stuffing. They were maneuvered into the room by four strong looking men and  
  
placed where Lucius had ordered. They were then made up with fine satin sheets, wool blankets,  
  
and feather pillows with satin lace cases.  
  
After they left and the guard joined his fellow outside the door, the two girls took a seat  
  
on their new beds and continued to eat their meal. As the afternoon passed, the girls decided to  
  
keep amused by trying out some of the royal toys sharing the room with them. After a couple  
  
hours of simple play, Lucius returned with a grey-haired man wearing small spectacles who  
  
carried what appeared to be two gold bracelets in his hands.  
  
The girls immediately moved away from the toys and to the center of the room. The man  
  
handed one to Lucius as they came to the girls, and the boy carefully placed it on Salina's right  
  
wrist. It was about three inches long, and in the seam was a small piece of metal. The seam sat  
  
on the underside of her arm. Lucius carefully squeezed the bracelet shut.  
  
"This was my idea. Rather than chains, you shall wear these," Lucius told them as he took  
  
a key from the old man and slipped it into a small keyhole on the underside of the bracelet. He  
  
twisted carefully, and a slight click was heard. He then released her and took the other bracelet,  
  
which he placed and closed around Rini's right wrist. *So that's why they measured them,* she  
  
thought.  
  
"They have my name on them, so any who look at them will immediately know you  
  
belong to me. And I will have the only existing key for them," Lucius continued as he locked the  
  
second bracelet. The key was on a small string, and Lucius placed that around his neck before  
  
tucking the key into the top of his tunic. Lucius turned and nodded to the man, who nodded back  
  
and left, then turned back. The two girls glanced at their new adornments.  
  
"I shall have the tailors make you some fine dresses, and these will be shipped back to  
  
Cephiro," he said, indicating their current togas. "You'll be treated well, and not worked too  
  
hard, I promise this. I just ask you one thing in return."  
  
"What's that?" Salina asked, looking up. Rini did the same.  
  
"I want you to promise me that for so long as you wear my bracelets, you will not try to  
  
run from me," he said, his face solemn. Rini looked in his eyes. They were pleading. He really  
  
wanted this, and without having to force it. "Please, your solemn vow." Rini hesitated only a  
  
moment longer before speaking.  
  
"Alright, Lucius. You have my word," Rini told him.  
  
"Mine, too. I promise," Salina said.  
  
"Thank you," Lucius said with a relieved smile. "Come, I wish to show you the rest of  
  
our home," he said a moment later, and they smiled and followed him out of the room. *You  
  
know,* Rini thought, *This may not be so bad!*  
  
* * *  
  
As they pulled into the city, they noticed that the streets were loaded and bustling with  
  
excitement. The crowds were lined up everywhere! Serena couldn't help but wonder what was  
  
up. About twenty to thirty minutes later they pulled up to an open area in front of a small two  
  
story building, and the three got out.  
  
"What do you suppose is happening?" Serena asked.  
  
"Not a clue," Georgio said. The building was little different than those around it, columns  
  
on the corners and around the entrance, and made from white washed marble, the windows  
  
curtained. A few moments later a man with greying hair and a clean shaven face holding two  
  
aged hazel eyes emerged with a young girl about Rini's age with raven hair and bright blue eyes.   
  
The two moved to the cart, and the elderly man greeted Rex warmly with a hug that was received  
  
with another hug back.  
  
"Hello, Thernacius," he said. "Welcome back to Rome."  
  
"Hello, Father," Rex said. "It's always good to be back." The old man then turned and  
  
stole a hug from Georgio.  
  
"How's my eldest grandson? Keeping healthy?" he asked.  
  
"Hi, Grandpa Tatius! I'm fine, I'm fine," Georgio replied. Tatius then turned and looked  
  
at Serena for the first time.  
  
"Who is this, son? Have you purchased for yourself a young slave, or is she Georgio's  
  
first wife?" the old man inquired. Before Serena could explode, Rex answered.  
  
"Neither, Father. Her name is Serena, a new friend," Rex explained.  
  
"A friend?" Tatius raised an eyebrow.  
  
"We found her out cold on the road not far from our home in Tarria. We nursed her to  
  
health, and allowed her to accompany us to Rome," Rex added. As they spoke, the men began  
  
unloading the wagon, Tatius signaling the little girl to help. They unloaded first their bags and  
  
then some wares, four new sculptures made by Vivian and two by Delia, Rex had brought with  
  
them.  
  
"And why did she wish to come to Rome?" Tatius asked as he helped with the wares.  
  
"She came to retrieve her daughter from Barvus Cephiro, the slave trader," Georgio said.   
  
"She's been very insistent. I've asked her to marry me." Tatius looked at his grandson with  
  
surprise in his face.  
  
"Only asked?" he said.  
  
"I've got a husband, thank you!" Serena said. "And I'm sure he'll survive the fighting in  
  
Germania just fine!"  
  
"Fighting's over," Tatius said as they got the last item, some leftover vegetables from the  
  
store they'd brought. "Ended eight days ago. The new Caesar arrived back about ten minutes  
  
ago, or so the crowd's been murmuring for the last five minutes."  
  
"New Caesar? You mean someone got close enough to Marcus to..whhh," Serena softly  
  
whistled as she swung her finger across her throat in the international signal for "killed."  
  
"Uh, huh. The Caesar Commodus rules now, for as long as he can hold it," Tatius  
  
confirmed.  
  
"I see. And who may I ask is this, Father?" Rex said, indicating the little girl.  
  
"Your mother bought her two days ago from an auction, along with another one. They  
  
don't talk much, and mind their manners, so I don't mind too terribly," Tatius said. Just then a  
  
chariot road up and passed on by, carrying a dark brown haired man with deep black-brown eyes,  
  
his hair cut very close to his head and curled slightly, and a woman with long brown-blond hair  
  
and brown eyes. Both were richly dressed, and the male waved to the crowd as he passed.  
  
"Who was Mr. Parade?" Serena asked as she watched him recede into the distance.  
  
"You just saw royalty, girl. That was Caesar Commodus, and his sister, the Lady  
  
Lucilla," Tatius answered. "Guess they are back. What a showoff." Serena's eyes widened  
  
slightly.  
  
A few moments later they moved inside, and more hugs went around with an elderly  
  
woman with silver hair and faded green eyes that Georgio identified as "Grandma Ariadne". The  
  
elder woman was introduced to Serena, who eagerly approved of the match with Georgio and  
  
suggested an immediate wedding, which Serena turned down saying she should collect her  
  
daughter quickly and return home before her husband arrived and thought they'd been killed or  
  
something. During all this the raven haired girl slipped into the kitchen where another girl with  
  
blond hair and brown eyes was watching over a stew cooking in a pot.  
  
"Felicia, the Master and Mistress's son and grandson are here," Galea whispered.  
  
"So?" Felicia asked.  
  
"They brought someone with them, a young woman. I think she's Rini's mother, the one  
  
Cephiro left unconscious when he took her," Galea said. Felicia turned to her friend and fellow  
  
slave.  
  
"Rini's mother? She's alive? She's here?" Felicia asked.  
  
"What are you two doing?" an elderly voice asked. They turned to see Ariadne standing  
  
in the portal to the lounge.  
  
"Just telling Felicia about the arrivals," Galea said.  
  
"And that's all?" Ariadne asked.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. That's all," Felicia confirmed.  
  
"Good. Felicia, return your attentions to that pot and call me when it begins to boil.   
  
Galea, tend to the laundry, please," Ariadne instructed, then returned to the lounge.  
  
"We'll talk later," Galea said, and walked through another portal to the cleaning chamber  
  
while Felicia returned to her work.  
  
In the lounge, Serena sat and talked with Georgio, Rex, and his parents, getting to know  
  
the elderly couple as they shared anecdotes of the past. She also asked if they knew the address  
  
of the slaver Barvus Cephiro, to which Ariadne replied in the positive, and told it to her.  
  
*First thing tomorrow,* Serena thought, *I go and get Rini!* She'd go now, but the  
  
crowd would take time to get through. And besides, she didn't want to look like a poor guest!   
  
She'd waited this long, she could wait until morning.  
  
* * *  
  
Rini and Salina watched quietly from the top of the steps as Caesar Commodus and Lady  
  
Lucilla pulled up in their chariot. With them were Lucius, Gracchus, and two other Senators, as  
  
well as several guards. Gracchus seemed unimpressed by the Emperor's arrival, and urged Lucius  
  
to go up to his mother, which he did. A few moments later the three came back up, and greetings  
  
went around.  
  
Rini and Salina now wore white dresses with red lining, and were feeling much better.   
  
What servitude they had to do was indeed minimal, restrained to the occasional retrieving of food  
  
or drink when asked, usually by a grown up who refused to even try and make eye contact with  
  
them. Lucius treated them as new friends rather than property, and he had _not_ tried to make  
  
them strip in front of him. In fact, he would leave their room after changing for bed to allow them  
  
privacy to do the same. Their only real "limits" were that they could not leave the Palace without  
  
proper escort, to assure they did not try to escape. Not that they would try, they had given  
  
Lucius their words on that one.  
  
At that point Commodus and Lucilla turned and looked at them for the first time.   
  
Commodus didn't really seem to care, but Lucilla, like many before her, looked on them in  
  
interest. Or more accurately, at Rini.  
  
"Who are they, Senator?" Commodus asked waving a hand in their direction.  
  
"Slaves, Caesar. Your nephew purchased them a couple days ago," Gracchus replied.  
  
"Greetings, your Majesty," Rini said with a curtsey.  
  
"Hail, Caesar," Salina said bowing. Commodus nodded and turned away. Lucilla stepped  
  
forward a moment and ran a hand through Rini's hair.  
  
"Lucius, why did you have her hair dyed this color?" Lucilla asked.  
  
"It's not dye, mother. It's her real color!" Lucius replied. "Neat, huh?"  
  
"Real? I'll be," Lucilla said, then turned and followed Commodus into the Palace, as did  
  
the Senators, and Lucius. Rini and Salina followed after next, as did the guards.  
  
* * *  
  
Early the next morning Serena slipped out onto the quiet streets of Rome. The wagon had  
  
been moved at sunset behind the house, and the horses to a small stable, though they were  
  
brought hay and water during the day. Serena glanced around, and saw few people currently  
  
milling about, so in theory this should be quick and easy.  
  
She tightened the white shawl she had draped around her shoulders for a little more  
  
warmth in the early morning air. The yellow dress she currently wore did little to block the chill,  
  
but it covered her. Serena had left a brief note on the lounge table for the family. Fortunately,  
  
while staying with her new friends in Tarria, she had managed to learn enough of the Latin writing  
  
system by watching it being taught to Mikhail and Delia that she was able to write it more or less  
  
intelligibly.  
  
Serena glanced around once more, then turned and walked down the street toward the  
  
storehouse owned and operated by Barvus Cephiro, the man who had stolen her daughter from  
  
her. It was time to get Rini back!  
  
* * *  
  
Rex entered the room as the sun began to peek above the buildings in the distance. He  
  
heard his mother instructing the new slave girls in preparing one of her best breakfast meals, and  
  
smiled lightly. She would buy them for the sake of recapturing her youth when she cared for him  
  
and his three sisters and two brothers.  
  
He glanced toward the table in the middle of the sitting room and saw a small parchment  
  
lying atop it. He picked it up and read it:  
  
"Gone to Cephiro's to get Rini.  
  
"Be back soon.  
  
"Serena."  
  
The signature was in a writing style he'd never seen before, but he knew what it had to  
  
say. Serena had gone to retrieve her daughter alone. He lowered the note as he thought over his  
  
options.  
  
"What's that, father?" Georgio asked as he entered the room pulling his tunic down over  
  
his waist. Rex handed him the parchment, and Georgio's eyes went wide as he read the simple  
  
note. "She went by herself?!"  
  
"Who did, dear?" Ariadne asked from the portal to the kitchen.  
  
"Serena. She went to Cephiro's to get her daughter back alone," Rex said as his father  
  
emerged from the stairwell in the northeast corner that lead to the upper floor.  
  
"By herself? And you wish to marry this foolhardy girl, Georgio?" Tatius asked as he  
  
stepped forward from the steps toward his wife. "Oh, well. To each their own. Can't help who  
  
you fall in love with." He said the last as he stopped in front of his wife with a smile and stole a  
  
kiss from her.  
  
"Cephiro? That's right, she asked about his address yesterday after you arrived," Ariadne  
  
said turning back to her son and grandson. "Come to think of it, he's the one I bought Felicia and  
  
Galea from. You should have seen the lots that came right before them, though. One of those  
  
girls was a real oddity!"  
  
"Indeed, Mother?" Rex said absent mindedly as he and Georgio turned back to Serena's  
  
note.  
  
"Oh, yes. Her hair was bright pink, it was. And that man, Cavinus, insisted it was natural  
  
for her! Wished I could of bought her, too, but I'd be insane as a loon if I tried to outbid Lucius  
  
Verus himself, I'd be! Not that I could afford to, anyway. Not many would pay six thousand for  
  
just two little girls," Ariadne continued as she mused it over. At that point Felicia poked her head  
  
out to see what the fuss was about.  
  
"Oh, really? You don't seriously believe that the girl's hair was really naturally pink?"  
  
Tatius asked with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"It was natural! Rini's hair was always that color!" Felicia piped up without thinking.  
  
"I don't think I was talking to you, girl," Tatius said calmly, failing to notice his son and  
  
grandson snap around at the mention of the pink-haired girl's name.  
  
"Her name was Rini?!" Rex exclaimed.  
  
"Yes, she told me so herself," Felicia said as Galea peeked in from behind her.  
  
"Oh, no," Georgio said.  
  
"What is it, dear?" Ariadne asked.  
  
"Rini," Rex said, "is Serena's daughter!"  
  
* * *  
  
It took a little more than an hour, but as the sun began to lift slightly above the smaller  
  
buildings in the city, she reached the four story storehouse. She glanced around, but few if any  
  
guards were moving about. About five were sitting outside the building, but they looked half  
  
asleep. She lifted the shawl and wrapped it around her head, and walked calmly and resolutely up  
  
to the door. The guards glanced at her but didn't try to stop her.  
  
Inside she quickly glanced at the long aisle of cells, then quickly looked inside the guard  
  
station, where a few more milled about, but again only glanced at her. She saw nothing that  
  
looked like it held files or anything, so she turned and hopped up the stairs, and found the second  
  
floor exactly like the first. She glanced in the guard station here, but again only a few guards  
  
milling about, half awake, and nothing that looked like it held any records. She quickly moved on  
  
to the third floor.  
  
This floor was markedly different, with a kitchen, a dining area, and what looked to be a  
  
payment booth of some sort for obtaining paychecks. And in the southeastern corner was an  
  
office. A few more guards were about, but again they ignored her as they downed some breakfast  
  
and a few passed her with some sort of oatmeal like sludge on trays before heading down the  
  
stairs. *Must be the slaves' breakfast. Hope it's not as bad as it looks,* Serena thought as she  
  
went into the office.  
  
This room had a stand up cupboard with a painting of a dragon lying on a hoard of  
  
treasure on the doors. She spotted a key on the desk, and scooped it up and slipped it into the  
  
lock on the cupboard door and opened it. A dozen papers filled the shelves within, but after  
  
sorting through a few of them, she found them to be nothing but various financial reports, profit  
  
scales, and cost evaluations. She locked the cupboard shut again and returned the key to the desk  
  
before leaving the office and climbing to the top floor.  
  
This floor was amazingly posh. Fine art in statues, paintings, and tapestries abounded  
  
here, and almost half the landing looked to be personal quarters. On the other half sat a fancy and  
  
expensive looking dining area, a sitting area, and what looked to be two further offices. As  
  
Serena made for the closer of the two offices, a voice caught her attention.  
  
"What you doing here?" a small voice asked, and Serena turned to see a two year old girl  
  
in a white toga, presumably for sleeping, staring at her while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.   
  
Serena thought fast.  
  
"Uh, I came to see the proprietor about records of a slave I bought from him recently,"  
  
she said to the child.  
  
Propie-what?" the girl asked.  
  
"The man who owns the building and the slaves downstairs," Serena cleared up. "I'll just  
  
wait in his office till he's ready."  
  
"Dada and Unca are still asleep," the girl said.  
  
"Like I said, I'll just wait in there," Serena replied and moved towards the offices when a  
  
four year old boy stepped out from the personal quarters, dressed similarly to the girl.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked as he saw her.  
  
"She says she wants talk to Dada and your dada, Timotheos," the girl said  
  
"What for, Zea?" Timotheos asked.  
  
"Just want to glance at a record of the known background of a slave I bought a few days  
  
ago, that's all," Serena said, moving closer to the offices. A few more steps and she could duck  
  
inside!  
  
"If you want to see a record, you'll want Cavinus's office on the left," a woman's voice  
  
said. A woman in a white and silver robe stepped into view with flowing brunette hair down to  
  
her shoulders, and glanced at the two children. "Timotheos, Zea, go sit at the table. Breakfast  
  
will be up in a moment."  
  
"Yes, Mommy," Timotheos said. He took the little girl's hand and they walked over to  
  
the dining area. The woman looked back up and moved up to Serena.  
  
"A little early, aren't you?" she asked.  
  
"I like to start my day with the sun," Serena said, trying to maintain her calmness.  
  
"Morning, Decima," an eight year old girl in yet another sleeping toga said as she passed  
  
by on the way to the dining area. She glanced at Serena, but didn't stop. *Decima?* Serena  
  
blinked. Decima lead her into the left office, which was set up like the other two, a cupboard with  
  
a picture of Jason claiming the Golden Fleece from the Harpies painted on the door. Decima  
  
collected the key from the desk and opened it.  
  
"Do you know the slave's name, or lot number at purchase?" Decima asked. Serena  
  
blinked. *Uh, oh.*  
  
"Well, she was fairly recent, but I don't really recall her lot number. But her name is  
  
Rini," Serena said.  
  
"Uh, do you know her full name?" Decima pushed.  
  
"Uh, never asked," Serena replied.  
  
"Okay, then," Decima said, and pulled some papers from the cupboard. She took them  
  
over to the desk and began glancing over them, laying them face down on the desk as she covered  
  
each one. After about fifteen nervous minutes, for Serena at least, Decima stopped and looked  
  
back up at her.  
  
"Here's one. Rini Shields, our pink-haired wonder. She was kept in Cell Thirty-Six on  
  
floor two after she arrived," Decima said. *Bingo! Now to get the cell keys and find her  
  
downstairs!* Serena thought excitedly. She was almost... "But this can't be the one you have,  
  
can she?" Decima continued. "According to this she was sold at auction two days after arrival to  
  
Lucius Verus himself for three thousand gold."  
  
Serena felt her heart drop and her eyes widened at the last comment. Without thinking she  
  
grabbed Decima by the top of her robe.  
  
"YOU SOLD MY DAUGHTER?!!" she yelled. Decima looked surprised, to say the very  
  
least.  
  
"That is our trade," she said calmly, trying to be comforting. "Besides, you're young and  
  
healthy. You can always have more, you know." Serena let her go and somehow managed to  
  
leave the office, then got downstairs to the main floor and out of the building. She walked down  
  
the street for about thirty minutes before she flopped on the steps of a random building and broke  
  
down into sobs.  
  
Ten minutes later Georgio and Tatius came up on a pair of horses and took her back to  
  
the old man's home.  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro finally strolled out to the dining area as his son and little Zea were finishing their  
  
breakfast and talking about something or other. Cavinus, Oriana, and Lelia were still eating, but  
  
Decima stood up and met her husband half way. Timotheos looked up as his father and mother  
  
partook of their good morning kiss.  
  
"Morning, Father! A lady's here to see you," the boy said.  
  
"Oh? Who?" he asked.  
  
"Pinky's mother. She came looking for her," Decima said. At this _all_ the others looked  
  
up.  
  
"The girl's mother? She's here?" Oriana asked.  
  
"She came all the way here to Rome?" Cephiro blinked. "Well, I must give her points for  
  
tenacity!"  
  
"She left about an hour ago, just after learning of the girl's sale to Lucius," Decima  
  
continued. "She wasn't here for more than a handful of minutes at best."  
  
"She could be anywhere in the city by now, then," Cephiro mused.  
  
"Maybe she's headed toward the palace? Thinking of stealing her girl back from Lucius?"  
  
Cavinus suggested.  
  
"If she made it all the way here," Cephiro commented, "I doubt she'd do something that  
  
foolish. _No one_ steals from the Caesars!"  
  
* * *  
  
Something wasn't right! Trista knew this for a solid fact! She'd been glancing over the  
  
Time Gate when a sudden tremor shook everything. Afterward she checked to make sure  
  
everything was alright, and then scanned back to see what the cause was. After a few minutes she  
  
found that it had come from Crossroads Junior High School!  
  
A quick rewind of the record of the events in the time stream, and Trista was able to  
  
carefully review what had happened. A man with straggly white hair and coal black eyes behind  
  
inch thick wire frame glasses in a lab coat and blue pants slipped into the school building carrying  
  
a large bulky device, several cords and cables sticking out of his coat pockets.  
  
A few moments later he reached the Science Room, placed the device on a table, switched  
  
on a nearby computer and logged onto it, then started pulling the cords and cables from his  
  
pockets. The device looked like a steel box, with slots for attaching the cables and wires, and a  
  
flap that he opened to reveal a small, built-in monitor on its inside and a small slant below it with  
  
keys, buttons, and a few switches.  
  
The man then connected up the four cables, then connected the other ends to the  
  
computer. Then he inserted a CD-Rom, and began the machine running some sort of program.   
  
The view was too far away to see the name he logged in or what the program was, but he then  
  
hooked up the cords to the device, and plugged three of the five into a power strip, and the other  
  
two into the computer. He then pulled up a wheeled chair and worked on the computer for eight  
  
minutes, then rolled the chair over and began typing on the keys of the device, viewing its monitor  
  
as he progressed.  
  
Another six minutes later, electricity and flashes were emanating from the machine and  
  
were bright enough to be seen out of the window. The man then rose from his seat, and opened a  
  
panel on the back, took a pen light in one hand and an insulated screwdriver in the other, and  
  
began poking around the innards of the device.  
  
As Trista watched him work, the door to the room suddenly opened quietly, and Serena  
  
came in. Rini followed in and stood next to her future mother, and Ami and Hotaru walked in  
  
two feet to their right. Finally, Lita came in a foot to Rini and Serena's left. They watched the  
  
man only for a moment, long enough for the machine to perform another brief spark of power,  
  
then spoke.  
  
"What are you doing?" Serena asked, voicing the question on Trista's mind as well, most  
  
likely, as the other Sailor Scouts. The man jumped and turned to look at them, but never had a  
  
chance to answer their question. As he turned, the screwdriver in his hand brushed a switch on  
  
the panel, flipping it. Suddenly an extremely bright flash filled the entire room for several  
  
seconds, and even Trista had to cover her eyes as it flared up in the replay!  
  
When the light subsided, the room was devoid of human life.  
  
Trista began to panic. Where had they gone? Were they okay? Were they even alive?   
  
Well, to the last question, they obviously couldn't be dead, at least not yet. If Serena had died,  
  
then Rini would never be born, and all history to which she had been a central player in recently -  
  
the Black Moon Family war, the Death Buster war, the Dead Moon Circus war - would be  
  
drastically altered, ripping the timelines apart!  
  
Taking a chance, she emerged from the limbo of timelessness that the Time Gate existed in  
  
into the Science Room, and took a closer look at the device. The circuitry was sophisticated and  
  
extremely advanced, well beyond her current level of study, and the program on the computer,  
  
which was still running even now, made absolutely no sense at all! Only one thing made a lick of  
  
sense, five words on the computer screen above the window displaying the program:  
  
"Temporal Transference Research Advancement Protocol."  
  
She stared at everything before her. She reviewed the facts. She was out of her depth,  
  
and had no idea exactly what had happened to her friends, future Queen, and precious Small  
  
Lady. She needed help. Amara and Michelle would be of no use, but they and the other Scouts,  
  
as well as Darien and the three cats, could help to keep others away from the device until they  
  
were sure it was neutralized.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Well, it seems things have reached a technical stalemate for now. Next time - Serena and Rini  
  
weren't the only ones shot back in time! Now we'll see what's been happening to Ami and  
  
Hotaru! And if you thought this was getting unpleasant, just wait till you see what happens to  
  
them! So stay tuned for Chapter 4: Hrisoula.  
  
Comments? Questions? Flames? Praises, perhaps? E-mail me at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! I'll be  
  
waiting! 


	4. Chapter 4: Hrisoula

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And now we shall see the Roman adventures of Ami and Hotaru...  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
This chapter was originally to be titled "Rape", but as I wrote it, it didn't quite pan out the  
  
way I meant it to, and the scene it would have cliffhanged on originally can be found in  
  
it's entirety in the next chapter, which gets the original name.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 4: Hrisoula  
  
When the light faded, the first thing Ami noticed was that it was suddenly daylight again,  
  
when it had been early evening only moments before! The next thing was that she was sitting in  
  
what appeared to be a small field of flowers. Finally, the only other person around was Hotaru,  
  
looking as surprised as she was. Where were they? How did they get here? And how were they  
  
going to get back? As those questions ran through her mind, Ami pulled herself back to a  
  
standing position.  
  
"Ami, where are we?" Hotaru asked aloud as she stood up herself.  
  
"I'm not sure," Ami replied. "We could be anywhere. I wish I knew what that flash did."  
  
"So what do we do?" Hotaru asked again.  
  
"We start looking for help, I guess," Ami answered, and the two picked a direction and  
  
started walking. After what felt like an hour, the two girls came up to what appeared to be a  
  
small farm. Several stout men were hard at work in the fields, and some small children were  
  
working with horses and cows and other assorted farm animals. The eldest child present, who  
  
couldn't have been more than ten at best, saw them and handed the horse he was tending off to  
  
the girl next to him, and walked up to them.  
  
Ami felt herself begin to sweat bullets. The grown men were wearing shorts only, but the  
  
children were all dressed in ancient Roman togas! The boy came up and stared at them curiously,  
  
then spoke.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"Travelers," Ami said. "We're a little lost, could you tell us what part of the Empire  
  
we're currently in?" *May as well confirm the theory now,* she thought.  
  
"You're in the Estonian Province," the boy told them.  
  
"Uh, Empire?" Hotaru quipped.  
  
"Yes, Hotaru, Empire. As in the _Roman_ Empire, where we are _right now_," Ami told  
  
her, inflecting key words. Hotaru's eyes went wide, and she turned on the young boy.  
  
"Are we really in the Roman Empire?" she asked, incredulous.  
  
"Yes, why are you so surprised?" he asked.  
  
"Uh... no reason," Hotaru stumbled out, and Ami grabbed her and pulled her away. A few  
  
moments later, the boy returned to tending his horse, and Ami turned to Hotaru.  
  
"Okay, we've somehow been blown back in time almost two thousand years, and halfway  
  
across the globe! How do you propose we get home?" Ami stated.  
  
"Um, we could transform and try to contact Sailor Pluto," Hotaru suggested.  
  
"Maybe, but right now the Time Gate would probably be guarded by one of Trista's  
  
forebears, not Trista. So how would we explain ourselves to her?" Ami mused.  
  
"Don't you think she'd believe the truth?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"She might, but she might also think we're some sort of imposters who _stole_ the current  
  
Mercury and Saturn's wands for their own ends! And that brings up another thought - if we  
  
transform, what if that attracts the attention of the current Sailor Mercury and Sailor Saturn?   
  
How would we convince _them_ we're their descendants without getting bombarded with a lot  
  
questions we _can't_ and _shouldn't_ answer?!" Ami thought it out.  
  
"So what do you think we should do?" Hotaru said.  
  
"For now, we should probably wait, see if the others notice we're gone and come looking  
  
for us, or figure out how to reverse whatever that machine did!" Ami answered. "And we should  
  
get some period clothing before someone tries anything funny. In fact, I should probably hide my  
  
hair."  
  
"Your hair?"  
  
"Blue hair isn't common in this time and country, Hotaru. I need to cover it up before  
  
some slave trader turns me into a collector's item!" Ami explained.  
  
"Oh, I didn't think of that. Slavery is legal in this time, isn't it?" Hotaru fretted.  
  
"Come on," Ami said. The two moved around the farm until they saw a small house, and  
  
found a path near it. They followed it for what felt like another two hours, then came upon a  
  
small city. The buildings were all made of stone, ranging from one to four stories in height.   
  
Some were white washed, others weren't, and from the distance it seemed to be bustling.  
  
Being cautious, they moved around to the back of the nearest buildings, and scanned the  
  
main road. Several tenders were selling their wares at stands up and down the road. The one that  
  
caught Ami's eye most significantly was a small stand with several dresses and togas on it. Also  
  
present were some bags.  
  
"Okay, this goes against our principles, but, we're going to steal some clothes," Ami told  
  
Hotaru.  
  
"Steal? But what if we get caught?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Then we're in big trouble. Come on," Ami answered her. She then lead the way around  
  
onto the street, and they quietly kept to the shadows until they were near the clothing stand, and  
  
then they slipped into a nearby alley. The cart was run by a man roughly in his mid-thirties with  
  
dark brown, nearly black, hair and deep, coal black eyes.  
  
Ami watched carefully, and crept up close to the cart. When the tender turned to talk to a  
  
young woman, she reached forward, scanned the stand, and grabbed a violet toga and a light blue  
  
toga about the right sizes, as well as a bag, and ducked back into the alley. She then lead Hotaru  
  
back several paces where they were more heavily enshadowed, and quickly began to strip down.  
  
"Hurry, Hotaru," Ami said as she pulled her school uniform up and over her head, then  
  
shoved it in the bag. Hotaru nodded and quickly did the same as Ami took the blue toga and set it  
  
against her. It had only one shoulder strap, which would leave her other shoulder uncovered. Ami  
  
quickly took off her bra, stuck it in the bag, and pulled on the toga, adjusting it so it would sit on  
  
her correctly. Meanwhile, Hotaru removed her pink shirt and magenta skirt and shoved them in  
  
the bag as well, then pulled on the purple toga, which covered her bra completely. The togas  
  
reached down to their knees, and had gold colored lacings.  
  
They tightened each other's lacings, then, not wanting to get spotted because of them,  
  
they plucked off their shoes and socks and tossed those into the bag as well. Ami scooped up  
  
their new bag and put it on her shoulder, and the two walked out into the crowd in full daylight.   
  
As they moved along, Ami spotted a stand selling shawls and handkerchiefs, as well as some fine  
  
pottery and other arts and crafts items, some of it rather expensive looking jewelry. Craftily, Ami  
  
navigated close to it, and when the lady selling them turned away for a split second, she snagged a  
  
shawl and tucked it into her bag. The lady watched them for a moment as they continued to  
  
glance over the other wares. Ami gawked at some of the prices - fifty gold coins up to as much  
  
as three hundred!  
  
"See anything you like?" she asked. The woman looked to be around forty or so, with  
  
raven hair down to her shoulders and dark violet eyes, in a simple-yet-elegant magenta dress with  
  
silver and blue lining. She also wore a simple necklace with a small emerald in a clasp on the  
  
bottom of it.  
  
"Um, they're all nice, but we don't really have any money," Hotaru admitted blushingly.  
  
"Oh?" the woman said. "There's a brothel six doors down where you could make  
  
some fast gold in only a few hours."  
  
"Thanks, but we'll pass," Ami said.  
  
"Yeah," Hotaru agreed. "We're not that desperate." Hotaru knew full well what that  
  
meant - a house where people paid women to have sex with them. No way was she losing her  
  
virginity that way!  
  
"Are you sure? There aren't that many other ways for young ladies like yourselves to get  
  
quick cash short of stealing it," she pushed.  
  
"Yes, we're sure," Ami and Hotaru chorused. She stared at them a moment longer, then a  
  
man of about twenty five to thirty with short brown hair and green eyes in a yellow toga came up  
  
and whispered something to her.  
  
"Thank you, Iosif. I'll take care of it. And I'll be lunching at Belen's Tavern today, so  
  
don't bring me anything," she told him, and he nodded and turned to leave, stopping briefly to  
  
glance at Ami and Hotaru, mostly Ami. He then walked off. "A servant of mine," the woman  
  
told them. "Apparently there's some trouble at my home that I shall have to attend to when I  
  
return."  
  
"Well, we'll be going now," Ami said politely, and she and Hotaru walked off. When they  
  
were a few doors down, Ami pulled out the shawl and wrapped it around her head to hide her hair  
  
from view, but made sure to leave her face uncovered.  
  
"A Brothel? Sailor Soldiers lowering themselves to prostitution?! Hmm! Indeed!"  
  
Hotaru spat indignantly. "I can't believe she even suggested it!"  
  
"Well, we do have very low options in regards to how we're going to get money to live  
  
on while we're here," Ami reminded her. She was guiding the two of them towards the edge of  
  
town, generally planning to leave it before someone realized the clothes they were wearing were  
  
stolen. But sometimes, fate...is cruel.  
  
"Hey! Stop him!" a voice screamed, and a five year old boy shot forth from the crowd.   
  
In his arms was a load of food, and he looked panicked. Just behind him was a tall man with a  
  
nasty look in his eye, brandishing a knife, looking ready to kill the child. Ami didn't even stop to  
  
think. She caught the child and passed him into Hotaru's arms, then shot up a hand and caught  
  
the man's arm and used her other hand to smack him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him.   
  
*Yep, Lita's rubbing off on me,* she thought as he coughed for a moment.  
  
The boy began to wiggle, trying to get out of Hotaru's arms. Hotaru reaffirmed her grip  
  
and glanced down at him.  
  
"Lemme go!" he screamed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hotaru asked, though she already had a suspicion.  
  
"He's crazy! He wants to kill me!" the boy screamed, still trying to squirm out of  
  
Hotaru's grip.  
  
"Does he have a reason to be mad at you?" Ami asked, her hand indicating the food in the  
  
boy's arms.  
  
"Hey! I paid for this, fair and square!" the boy snapped back.  
  
"Honestly?" Ami asked further.  
  
"No," the man finally found his breath. "He grabbed them off my stand. Now give them  
  
back! I barely make enough as is without stinking thieves!"  
  
"But I need'em! My mom's gonna die if she doesn't get food soon!" the boy shrieked in  
  
despair.  
  
"Ask me if I care," the man retorted. Ami began to sweat. On the one hand, she wanted  
  
to help the boy, but on the other she didn't want to get caught in a legal struggle, especially when  
  
she and Hotaru were technically in the same boat as the kid! And then...things got decidedly...  
  
worse.  
  
"Hey! Those are Tertius's! I knew I saw someone swipe a bag and a pair of dresses from  
  
his stall!" a voice snapped behind them. Hotaru glanced back, and saw a young girl about her  
  
own age with bright green eyes and long red hair past her shoulders by several inches -- pointing  
  
right at them!  
  
"So, Ami, what's the standard punishment for theft in this time?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"If we're lucky, we'll be tossed in a jail, and/or sold as slaves. If we're unlucky, they'll  
  
either torture us, kill us, or both," Ami replied, not needing to look.  
  
"In this time?" the man looked at them quizzically. As if to make things even worse, a  
  
quartet of big, strong, and downright mean looking guards stomped forward, two of them with  
  
swords drawn. This time, Ami glanced at them, and felt her stomach flip flop.  
  
*Jadeite? Nephrite? Zoicite? Malachite? It can't be! But, they do look like them, well,  
  
a little, sort of, kind of... their ancestors, maybe?* her mind raced as she stared at the seemingly  
  
familiar yet not quite identical faces that came forward.  
  
"So, a trio of thieves, huh?" the first one, who sort of looked like Malachite but didn't  
  
look like him, sneered. "We'll take care of these. It's the slave auction for them!"  
  
"Okay, on three we run for it," Ami whispered. But before she could start counting,  
  
another voice stepped in.  
  
"That won't be necessary, Khambis. I'll pay for all the goods, and buy the three of them  
  
right now," a familiar female voice said. Ami and Hotaru glanced back, and saw it was the  
  
woman from whom's stand they'd nicked the shawl! Without a word she stepped up to the man  
  
in front of Ami and handed him a small bag of money. "This should cover the food, Phthisis."   
  
Phthisis quickly checked the contents, then looked back up.  
  
"More than cover, Hrisoula. Thank you," Phthisis told her, then glanced to the boy.   
  
Hrisoula then turned and handed a medium sized bag of gold to the head guard, Khambis.  
  
"Will that cover payment for these three?" she inquired. Khambis glanced at the amount,  
  
and nodded. Hrisoula then turned to the boy. "You I set free for now. Go, before I change my  
  
mind," she told him. Hotaru released him, and he bolted away at top speed. Hotaru hoped  
  
quietly he'd reach his mother in time. Hrisoula then guided her and Ami back through the crowd  
  
to Tertius's stand, Khambis and his posse close behind. As soon as they reached it, Tertius  
  
looked up and his eyes went red.  
  
"So that's where they went! I'd recognize those anywhere! Kalie was right, I was  
  
robbed! Guards, I want them sent to the galley slaves!" he roared. Hotaru and Ami felt sweat  
  
bead them all over again, but Hrisoula just took out another bag of money. Tertius just looked at  
  
it for a moment, and then Kalie reappeared.  
  
"See, Master! I told you I saw someone swipe them!" she told him, clearly proud that she  
  
had caught a pair of thieves in the act. Hrisoula simply handed the bag to Tertius.  
  
"I believe this will amply pay you for the togas _and_ the bag," she said. Tertius  
  
examined the coins, and nodded his head.  
  
"Yes, that it will. But it won't save them from the galleys!" Tertius replied. Ami and  
  
Hotaru glanced back at the guards, expecting to be seized at any moment.  
  
"No, Tertius, I am. They shall work off this debt to me, as well as the shawl they took, as  
  
my property. I have already purchased them from the guards Now, if you don't mind," Hrisoula  
  
said, and turned and lead Ami and Hotaru away. The guards watched them for a moment, then  
  
went about their business, Tertius returning to his wares and Kalie to her own business under him.  
  
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Kalie was a slave herself, belonging to Tertius. As  
  
the crowd settled and the three returned to Hrisoula's stand, Hotaru spoke up, slightly timidly.  
  
"Um, Hrisoula?" she said.  
  
"Yes, dear?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"You were obviously trying to avoid attention, so I knew something was up. It only took  
  
me a moment to notice the absence of the shawl, so I followed after you. I was going to have you  
  
arrested myself, but then you stood up for that boy and tried to calm Phthisis down before he  
  
made a dreadful mistake," Hrisoula replied. "He's not a violent man by nature, but he does  
  
sometimes have a problem with his temper. I could sort of tell you didn't want to take those  
  
things without paying for them, but it seems as though you had little choice."  
  
"Yeah, we're totally flat broke," Hotaru said. "We're really sorry."  
  
"If we could have paid, we would have," Ami said.  
  
"Yes, well, you'll pay for it now. Here we are," Hrisoula replied as they reached her  
  
stand. They stepped behind it, and Hrisoula directed them to help with the sales. Ami quickly  
  
stowed their new bag against the wall the stand stood in front of, and went to work.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot. What are your names, dears?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"I'm Ami, and this is Hotaru," Ami introduced them. Hrisoula's eyes widened slightly.  
  
"What interesting names."  
  
The next several hours were spent selling the various wares -- shawls, pots, small statues  
  
of various persons and animals, real and mythical, and the various jewelries on the stand. The  
  
total yield for the day was something in the neighborhood of fifteen hundred gold and six hundred  
  
silver. About midday, when Ami and Hotaru had gotten the hang of it, Hrisoula left to take care  
  
of the affair that Iosif had come to inform her about.  
  
Apparently a slave girl had run off, leaving her short a servant. And she'd only had three  
  
to begin with. So she had gone to post a wanted poster for the girl to have her returned if found,  
  
reward given only if she was still alive. Shortly after she returned, they closed briefly, and went to  
  
a small restaurant for lunch, and then returned to work. The work day finally ended as the sun set  
  
and street torches were lit to light the paths and walkways.  
  
As they finished, Hrisoula closed up shop and stored the unsold items in a medium sized  
  
chest below the stand, with a heavy six pound lock on it for good measure. The money she  
  
locked into a small box to take home with her. Ami got their bag, and she and Hotaru got ready  
  
to leave.  
  
"Alright, you'll be coming home with me, now," Hrisoula told them.  
  
"Huh? But we paid off the debt, didn't we?" Ami asked.  
  
"Aren't we free now?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Oh, no, dearies. When I purchase a slave, I generally keep them, and I do need to  
  
replace Damris until someone finds and returns her. Do not worry, I have more than enough  
  
room for the both of you, and as you already know, I treat my people well," Hrisoula stated.   
  
"Unless, of course, you _want_ me to sell you off to Adele's Brothel?" Ami and Hotaru  
  
gulped nervously.  
  
"Uh, just a moment," Ami said, and pulled Hotaru aside. "What do you think?"  
  
"Well, it's better than the whore house," Hotaru said.  
  
"And it'll get us through this period until the others find us," Ami added.  
  
"We gotta find somewhere to stay, right?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Alright then," Ami said decidedly, then turned back to Hrisoula. "We humbly accept  
  
your offer, Hrisoula. Uh, where do you live?"  
  
"Just follow me," Hrisoula said. She turned and lead them once again through the city.   
  
By this time the sun had completely set, and the only light in the street came from the intermittent  
  
torches along the row of buildings.  
  
This time, Ami and Hotaru took a good look around as they walked, noting certain  
  
establishments as they passed them -- restaurants, a pair of inns, a bar, the aforementioned  
  
whore house which they both mentally decided to avoid like the plague itself, the various houses  
  
of the notable residents of the city like the mayor and the militia, until finally they came to a  
  
medium sized, three story house.  
  
It was white washed, as were several around it, and looked fairly well kept up, and slightly  
  
expensive. Hrisoula apparently did really good business! She turned as they approached it.  
  
"My late husband was a stout politician, until he got into a brawl at Nikos's bar.   
  
Considering how much time he spent drunk, it was no great surprise it finally happened that way,  
  
though I did hope he might clean up eventually," Hrisoula told them. "He left me everything, and  
  
I run it my own way." She then lead them inside, where Iosif met them, along with the other  
  
servant, a man of about twenty to twenty five, with light brown hair and sharp emerald eyes,  
  
wearing a simple baize toga. This man took a brief glance at Ami, then focused squarely on  
  
Hotaru. Despite the shininess of his eyes, Hotaru felt suddenly cold. Iosif, meanwhile, looked  
  
with interest at the arrivals with his lady.  
  
"The ones from this afternoon? Why are they here?" he asked.  
  
"They are officially replacing the slave girl who ran off, may the gods protect her soul  
  
until her return," Hrisoula explained. "This is Ami, and Hotaru."  
  
"Hello," Ami and Hotaru greeted them. Iosif moved up and took Ami's hand in his own,  
  
holding it gently.  
  
"The pleasure, is mine," he said. Ami smiled politely.  
  
"Thank you, Iosif wasn't it? And this is?" she replied, then indicated the other man  
  
present.  
  
"This is my brother, Eleutherios," Iosif introduced him. Eleutherios then moved up and  
  
took Hotaru's hand in his, and gave it a gentle kiss.  
  
"It is a pleasure and an honor to meet one as fair as you, Hotaru," he said, a broad smile  
  
on his face.  
  
"Uh, thanks, Eleutherios. Um, where will we sleep?" Hotaru turned back to Hrisoula.  
  
"Ah, yes. Iosif, take them up to their rooms. Give Hotaru the one recently vacated by  
  
Damris. Ami can have the vacant one next to it," Hrisoula instructed. Without releasing her  
  
hand, Iosif gently drew Ami into the house. Beyond the main entry hall was a fairly large visiting  
  
room on the right, an enormous dining room with a six meter long dining table to the left, and off  
  
to the rear just behind the dining area was a medium sized kitchen area, a single door connecting  
  
the two rooms. A few statues adorned the area, and a couple of simple, yet rich, paintings of the  
  
landscape hung upon the walls.  
  
Iosif lead her up a winding stairwell in the right rear corner of the hall leading to the  
  
second floor. Hotaru quickly extricated herself from Eleutherios's grip and sped after them up  
  
the stairs. Eleutherios watched them leave, and started to follow after when Hrisoula stopped  
  
him.  
  
"Eleutherios, has dinner been prepared?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, my lady. Shall I bring it up to your chambers as usual?" he replied.  
  
"Yes, and have your brother take something to Ami and Hotaru when he comes back  
  
down, would you? They must be famished by now. And if you haven't already, do have  
  
something yourself," she instructed.  
  
"As you wish, my lady."  
  
* * *  
  
The second floor held six small servant quarters, and eight twenty meters squared guest  
  
rooms. The division was simple, the eight guest rooms were on the right, two in the rear, two in  
  
the front, and four in the middle, two hallways allowing access to all of them, one near the rear  
  
and one near the front. The servant quarters were on the left, a hallway at the front of the  
  
building allowing access to the two rooms there, and another fifteen meters from that allowing  
  
access to the other four, and seven and a half meters past that was a small sitting space with a few  
  
more statues and paintings and what looked to be a couple of trophies. The stairs continued  
  
upward to what was presumably the master bedroom and who knew what else.  
  
Iosif lead them down to the hallway at the front of the building, and guided them to the  
  
two doors in the inside wall. He turned to Hotaru and pointed to the door nearer the main hall.  
  
"That one's yours, Ms. Hotaru. And this one," he stated, then moved his hand to indicate  
  
the further door while moving his eyes to Ami, "is yours, Mrs. Ami."  
  
"Oh, I'm not married, Iosif," Ami corrected him.  
  
"You're not? A beauty such as yourself?" he inquired. Hotaru quietly began to snicker.  
  
"I'm only fifteen!" Ami stated.  
  
"That's more than old enough," Iosif said.  
  
"Uh, we'd like to be alone now for a little while," Ami floundered. "Please?"  
  
"Very well," Iosif replied. "Good evening." He turned and walked off, heading back to  
  
the stairs. Ami released a breath of air in utter relief.  
  
"I think he likes you, Ami," Hotaru said.  
  
"That's what I'm worried about," Ami replied. "I have no idea how far he wants or  
  
intends to go."  
  
"I guess that's a point," Hotaru agreed. "Am I the only one who got the creeps when we  
  
met Eleutherios?"  
  
"Can't say as I did. Why?" Ami asked.  
  
"Well, I can't place my finger on it, but, something about him felt wrong," Hotaru told  
  
her. "It felt like he was checking me out like a wild beast does its prey before it pounces and  
  
feeds on it."  
  
"Really? I didn't notice. Are you sure?" Ami asked.  
  
"I felt nervous the whole time we were with him. I was glad for the excuse to slip away,"  
  
Hotaru stated, wrapping her arms around herself. "Ami, maybe we should have run for it and just  
  
gone on our way."  
  
"Well, until they actually try something, we should at least give them the benefit of the  
  
doubt," Ami said.  
  
"I guess so," Hotaru agreed, though her tone said anything but.  
  
"Well, let's check out our rooms, hmm?" Ami suggested.  
  
"Okay," Hotaru said, and opened the door to her new private room. Within was a simple  
  
bed with a brown wool blanket and a goose feather pillow. Near the bed was a small table with a  
  
single lit candle on it, giving the only light in the room. A small rug sat upon the floor, and a  
  
simple tapestry was upon the north wall, depicting a farm scene. A small chest sat against the east  
  
wall of the room, and looked as though it still held a few items of clothes.  
  
Hotaru walked over and leaned down to look in the chest. To her surprise, all the  
  
remaining clothes left by the missing Damris looked to be about the right size for her, or at least  
  
within reason. But if Damris had been the same age as her, why had she run away from Hrisoula,  
  
who had yet to come off as even remotely vicious to her servants. Unless... Eleutherios...  
  
"Something wrong, Hotaru?" Ami asked, noting the girl's deepening nervousness. She  
  
then glanced idly at the clothes in the chest. *That's odd,* she thought.  
  
"Huh? Oh, uh, nothing, just wandering thoughts," Hotaru replied. A rumbling sound then  
  
echoed through the room. "I guess I could use some food, though," Hotaru admitted shyly. Ami  
  
blushed as well as her own stomach made its desires known.  
  
"Yeah, me too," she said, and the two chuckled lightly. Just then, Iosif returned, holding  
  
two trays with food on them. Each held a plate with a small slab of steak and some bread and  
  
peas, as well as a glass of fluid. He handed one to Ami, and then took the other to Hotaru.  
  
"Hrisoula asked for this to be sent up to you. Do enjoy," he told them. Ami glanced at  
  
the liquid in her glass.  
  
"Uh, Iosif, what is this?" she asked.  
  
"Hotaru has been given Prune Juice," he said, "But I thought you might like a glass of  
  
wine, seeing as you are a woman."  
  
"Uh, thank you, but so you know, I don't really drink wine," Ami told him. "Or beer. Or  
  
whiskey. Or anything with alcohol, for that matter."  
  
"Oh? I can replace it if you like," he offered.  
  
"That's okay, I'll have this one since it's here, but I'd rather not have any more," Ami  
  
replied. Iosif nodded, and left the room. Ami and Hotaru moved over to the bed and dug into  
  
their meal. The food tasted pretty good, and they soon downed it all. While Hotaru had no  
  
problem with her prune juice, Ami slowly took in her glass of wine, not wanting to mess herself  
  
up by accident.  
  
"So, now what?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"We turn in for the night, unless Hrisoula wants us for something," Ami said, and stood  
  
up, taking both trays. As she started to move toward the door, she suddenly felt a little tipsy.   
  
Hotaru jumped up and grabbed the trays from her.  
  
"Why don't we take these down in the morning after you're sober?" she suggested.  
  
"Alright, good idea," Ami said, as she felt herself swoon slightly. *One glass? I didn't  
  
think I'd have this low a tolerance,* she thought to herself.  
  
Hotaru placed the trays down on the floor, and then helped Ami out of the room and over  
  
to the one next door which had been assigned to her. Within, the room looked the same as  
  
Hotaru's, save that the chest was clearly empty, the tapestry showed a slightly different farm  
  
scene, and the bed had clearly not been slept in for some time, if ever.  
  
Hotaru carefully guided Ami over to the bed, and sat her down. Then she left for a  
  
moment and came back with their new bag, which had been left in her room, and set it down on  
  
Ami's chest.  
  
"Will you be okay?" she asked Ami.  
  
"With rest, yes," Ami replied. "Why don't you go get some, too."  
  
"Okay, I'll try," Hotaru said, and returned to her room. Ami laid down, and considered  
  
for a moment. She then sat back up, undid her lacings, and slipped off the toga. It seemed silly to  
  
sleep in the one item of clothing she possessed that was in period, and it wasn't like pajamas were  
  
really used in this period. She slipped under her covers, blew out her candle, and let herself drift  
  
off. *I hope it doesn't take Serena and the others long to figure out what happened to us,* she  
  
thought as she drifted into sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Hotaru glanced through the clothes in the chest, and found one that looked sort of like a  
  
sleeping gown. She laid the item down on the bed, then stepped back out of the room. Stepping  
  
over to Ami's room, she glanced in and noticed the elder girl had already passed out. *Is wine  
  
really that effective?* she thought. Hotaru walked down the hall and listened at the stairs for a  
  
moment, then dove aside as Eleutherios came down to the landing with a third plate.  
  
"Why, hello, Ms. Hotaru. Can I help you?" he asked. Hotaru gulped. This was the _last_  
  
person she wanted to see right now!  
  
"Uh, well, I was wondering if Hrisoula wanted us to do anything else this evening, or if  
  
we're free to go to bed for the night," she explained to him quickly, wanting to end this meeting  
  
quickly.  
  
"Unless she calls for us, after dinner we're generally free to do as we wish for the  
  
remainder of the evening," Eleutherios said. "Are you really tired so soon? The sun can only  
  
have been down for maybe an hour or so."  
  
"Really? Feels a lot longer to us. Well, good night, Eleutherios," Hotaru replied, and  
  
back stepped away for a moment, then turned and walked back to her room, leaning against the  
  
wall lightly as she released her breath slowly.  
  
*Yeah, he still feels creepy. Why did he make me so nervous, though? Was it something  
  
in his eyes?* she thought to herself quietly. She shook her head mildly, dismissing the quandary  
  
for now as she moved into the room.  
  
She quickly undid the lacings on her toga and took the clothing off, setting it atop the  
  
chest for now. She then removed her bra and placed that upon the chest as well, then slipped on  
  
the evening gown. The fit was a little snug, but it turned out that Damris wasn't that much  
  
smaller than her, though it did pinch her a little in a few spots.  
  
Hotaru then slipped into her bed and blew out the candle. As she lay there, she thought  
  
over the day - or had it been two days? - and how her life had suddenly been knocked topsy turvy  
  
five times worse than when she first became Sailor Saturn. For the most point, it hadn't been too  
  
bad, and they had found a kind soul to take them in and give them shelter, so they were relatively  
  
protected until the other Sailors could figure out where they were and get them both back home  
  
again.  
  
*And Ami even got an admirer,* she thought. *I just wish Eleutherios didn't come off so  
  
creepy like that. I'd bet good money he's the reason Damris ran off. He must have spooked her  
  
bad.* At that moment, Hotaru turned over, and faced the door to her room, which she'd left  
  
open.  
  
And for a moment, she could swear someone was standing there, staring at her...  
  
* * *  
  
Iosif had just finished cleaning the kitchen and putting away the spare dishes used for  
  
dinner by him and his brother, when Eleutherios entered with the used plate from Hrisoula.   
  
Eleutherios handed it to him, and Iosif quickly cleaned it and returned it to it's proper place in the  
  
cupboard.  
  
"So, brother, what do you think?" Eleutherios asked him as he worked.  
  
"If you are referring to the new girls, I think Ms. Ami is quite beautiful. She would be a  
  
fine wife to any man lucky enough to win her," Iosif replied.  
  
"And Ms. Hotaru?" Eleutherios arched his eyebrow.  
  
"She's a cute kid, not unlike Damris. I do wish I knew why she ran off, I really enjoyed  
  
her company," Iosif stated. "Why?"  
  
"Like you said, she's cute. Very cute," Eleutherios answered. "I imagine she'll make a  
  
lovely bride herself one day."  
  
"Not to you, brother. I think Hotaru finds you a little overbearing, as I believe Damris  
  
once did, did she not?" Iosif stated.  
  
"Overbearing? Me? Hf! Perish the thought," Eleutherios retorted.  
  
"You do not give yourself nearly enough credit, my brother," Iosif said.  
  
"Oh, really?" Eleutherios asked.  
  
"Not by half," Iosif turned to face him. "I believe, short of Hrisoula having one of her  
  
'whims' again, it was time I retired to my room for the night."  
  
"So soon?" Eleutherios's eyes widened as a smile covered his face.  
  
"You know full well I've been wanting to finish that scroll for weeks," Iosif retorted.  
  
"A literate son of a whore. Who'd have thought it," Eleutherios grinned teasingly.  
  
"What our mother did," Iosif stared at him hard, "has nothing to do with what we are."  
  
"Oh, no," Eleutherios said. "She was a worthless whore. And us... Well, we're just  
  
slightly more valuable house slaves, owned by an eccentric old woman who has us do the most  
  
mundane of chores each day while she's living in the clouds!"  
  
"You'd rather be in the galleys, then?! Or an arena?!" Iosif snapped.  
  
"Oh, of course not! Why risk death through murderous labor or simple murder when one  
  
can be killed by boredom instead?" Eleutherios responded.  
  
"At least it won't be utterly pointless," Iosif said, and turned away and left the room,  
  
heading for the stairwell. "Douse the first floor lights on your way up," he called back.  
  
"Of course," Eleutherios said. After a few moments of puttering and checking the  
  
placement of the dishes in the cupboard, he moved around and blew out the few candles used on  
  
the floor, and then used the torch cone, a handle with a medium metal cone on the end, to put out  
  
the four torches in the main hall, then headed up the stairs, briefly going through the guest rooms  
  
and the two unused servant quarters, and dousing the candles within those as well before moving  
  
to the foot of the second story stairwell.  
  
"Oh, my lady," he called up. "Will there be anything else this evening?" A few moments  
  
of quiet followed, as Hrisoula was obviously thinking it over.  
  
"No, I think not. Feel free to go to bed, Eleutherios," Hrisoula's voice called down to  
  
him.  
  
"Thank you, my lady," Eleutherios replied, and proceeded to put out the second story  
  
torches, then entered his room, the one closest the stairs. Iosif's was across the hall from his, the  
  
one on the other side of the wall from Hotaru's, formerly used by Damris.  
  
Along with the servant's chest, bed, and candle table, Eleutherios's room held a small  
  
writing table, which Hrisoula had allowed him to have when he'd politely asked for one six years  
  
prior. The tapestry here showed a small city scene.  
  
Eleutherios closed the door, and walked over to the desk. He picked up a long match  
  
stick and lit it on the candle on the candle table, and used that to light his desk candle, then blew it  
  
out. He then sat down at the desk and stared at the drawings he'd drawn over the last few  
  
months.  
  
Drawings of a young girl with long gray-black hair in a braid and quiet hazel eyes...  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Ami awoke early, and rousted Hotaru, who'd had a restless night after  
  
seeing the unidentified peeper. Behind the kitchen in a small yard open to the air was a roman  
  
bath, which they used quickly, then dried off, and got dressed. Hotaru noted, though, that Ami  
  
seemed a little off her game all morning, every now and then placing a hand to her forehead as  
  
though she were in mild pain.  
  
The yard also held a pair of trees, one sporting apples and another flowering fresh  
  
peaches, off to the right of the bath, and a small vegetable garden in the upper left hand corner. A  
  
small, nine meter square extension hung from the back of the house from the kitchen against the  
  
property wall, as well.  
  
After they dressed, they went into the kitchen to see what they could have for breakfast,  
  
but before they could start looking, Iosif and Eleutherios entered the room as well. Ami sat down  
  
at the servants table, deciding to let the men show them where the spare food was kept. She once  
  
again wore her blue toga from the previous day, and Hotaru had slipped on a red one of Damris's,  
  
which of course was a slightly snug fit.  
  
"Good morning, Iosif, Eleutherios," Ami said as she sat down.  
  
"Good morning, Ami," Iosif replied, and his brother nodded. Hotaru stood there,  
  
watching them for the moment, Eleutherios especially.  
  
"So what do you have to eat around here?" Ami asked.  
  
"Well, normally we lowly slaves have to prepare a few fresh eggs and vegetables, along  
  
with the option of a piece of meat or two, from the food cupboard for our meals," Iosif explained,  
  
indicating a door to one side, which lead to the extension in the yard. "And there's the apples and  
  
peaches on the trees in back," he commented.  
  
"Okay, what does breakfast usually consist of around here?" Ami asked, then felt her  
  
forehead again.  
  
"Something wrong?" Iosif inquired.  
  
"I think I may be a bit hung over," Ami admitted, glancing at the dishes they'd used just  
  
last night. They'd brought them down and placed them in the clay sink built into the back wall on  
  
their way to the bath, so they were still visible.  
  
"From one glass of wine?" Eleutherios blinked. Hotaru noted he was a little too close to  
  
her for her taste, and stepped quietly back a couple steps.  
  
"My tolerance is basically nil, okay? Now, about breakfast?" Ami replied.  
  
"Usually we have a couple of eggs and some oats ground into whole meal and boiled in  
  
water for a little while," Iosif told her.  
  
"Ah, eggs and oatmeal. Okay, I can go for that," Ami said. "How about you, Hotaru?"  
  
"Sounds good," Hotaru said.  
  
"I'll get started then. Eleutherios, fetch some eggs. Hotaru, would you give me a hand?"  
  
Iosif said, turning briefly to his brother, then Hotaru, then moving to the clay stove next to the  
  
clay oven, both of which were built into the left wall of the room, fetching a couple of pans and a  
  
medium sized pot from the large cupboard as he went. Hotaru walked over and joined him at the  
  
stove while Eleutherios opened the door to the food cupboard.  
  
"Want me to do anything?" Ami asked.  
  
"Uh..." Iosif glanced back at her. *If her head really hurts, we shouldn't push her right  
  
now,* he thought.  
  
"Yes, you can go up and wake Hrisoula. She likes to bathe while breakfast is being  
  
prepared," Eleutherios said as he went into the cupboard.. Hotaru stiffened a little at the thought  
  
of being without Ami within earshot, but then reminded herself that Iosif was also here, and it was  
  
doubtful Eleutherios would do anything while he was in the room.  
  
"Oh, okay, I'll take care of it," Ami said and stood up. She then walked over to the door  
  
and went to the stairs and ascended them. Hotaru watched her as Iosif fetched some matches,  
  
scooped in some coal from a pile in the corner, and lit the stove. Eleutherios then returned with  
  
the eggs, and stood next to his brother as he took some lard from a barrel and greased the pans  
  
with it. Hotaru watched the fire, quietly making sure it didn't go out and that it didn't suddenly  
  
get out of control.  
  
"Hotaru," Eleutherios said.  
  
"Yes?" Hotaru lightly jumped.  
  
"Relax," Eleutherios said calmly. "I just wanted to know, is that one of Damris's togas  
  
you're wearing?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yes. Most of the clothes she left behind are about my size, though a little  
  
small, and I figured there was no reason to wear the one I did yesterday if there were others that  
  
more or less fit me available," Hotaru explained, quietly forcing her nerves to stay still.  
  
Iosif then took the eggs and began breaking them open, placing them in the pans one by  
  
one, nine in all. He then got a wooden spatula and began tending them.  
  
"Well, I'll get started on the oatmeal," Eleutherios said, and went back into the cupboard.   
  
As he left, Hotaru sighed in relief.  
  
"Is there something the matter, Hotaru?" Iosif asked as he continued to mind the eggs.  
  
"Well," Hotaru said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but, your brother sort of creeps me  
  
out."  
  
"Really?" he blinked.  
  
"Uh, huh," Hotaru nodded. "I'm not sure why, he just does."  
  
"Funny," Iosif said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Damris told me the same thing once..."  
  
* * *  
  
Ami arrived on the third and top floor, and glanced around. She was in a small library of  
  
scrolls, at least six or seven wooden rows of shelves deep! There was even a small area to the  
  
side near a window with a table for reading, and a desk on the opposite side for writing. A few  
  
small tapestries of mythological scenes, Hercules on one of his twelve labors, Perseus beheading  
  
the Medusa, Theseus working through the Minoan Labyrinth to face the Minotaur, and a couple  
  
of busts added decoration to the room. About twenty four meters away sat the only door here,  
  
and she went to it.  
  
Opening it she found that the rest of the landing was devoted to the master bedroom,  
  
dominated by the biggest king sized bed she'd ever seen! It had to be at least six meters wide,  
  
and about twelve meters long! The rest of the room was richly decorated in tapestries, statues,  
  
and more busts, another writing desk off in one corner of the room, and a candle table on either  
  
side of the bed. A full on wardrobe sat against the wall on her left, made of what looked like  
  
redwood and painted with extravagant colors.  
  
Ami moved over to the bed, spotted Hrisoula asleep upon it, and moved over to her. As  
  
she drew close, she took in a deep breath, and leaned forward quietly, laying a hand upon the  
  
woman and lightly shaking.  
  
"Ms. Hrisoula? It's morning. Iosif and the others are preparing breakfast now," she said  
  
softly. Hrisoula began to stir, and Ami shook a little harder. "Ms. Hrisoula, it's time to get up,"  
  
she said.  
  
"Is it, Eleutherios?" Hrisoula mumbled. "You're a little early today, I think."  
  
"Uh, I'm Ami. Eleutherios is downstairs with his brother making breakfast," Ami quietly  
  
corrected her. Hrisoula blinked her eyes, staring up at the young face above her.  
  
"Ami? Oh, yes, one of the girls I bought yesterday," she mumbled. "Very well, tell  
  
Eleutherios to have the bath ready, and I'll be down shortly," she said, then yawned and stretched.   
  
Ami nodded, and quietly back peddled out of the room, pulling the door closed as she passed  
  
through it.  
  
"Well, this will definitely be interesting," Ami sighed as she headed to the stairs to carry out  
  
her orders.  
  
* * *  
  
Arriving back in the kitchen, Ami found Hotaru and Iosif working away at the eggs, and  
  
Eleutherios preparing a pot of roman oatmeal. She moved over and whispered to Eleutherios,  
  
and he handed the spoon he was stirring the pot with to her and went out to the garden to prepare  
  
the bath as ordered.  
  
Ami quietly stirred the pot while Iosif continued to prepare the eggs. After a few minutes,  
  
Eleutherios returned as Hrisoula emerged into the kitchen, dressed in what looked to be a robe of  
  
sorts.  
  
"Ami, dear, please come with me," she said as she went through the door. Ami followed  
  
while Eleutherios reclaimed his place with the pot.  
  
Ami followed Hrisoula out to the bath, and Hrisoula disrobed, handing her the garment as  
  
she stepped into the water. Ami quietly folded the item and placed it on the small stone table to  
  
the side where she and Hotaru had placed their things earlier when they had used the bath. Now,  
  
though, Ami noted a sort of flowery scent in the air, and noticed that a few oils had been mixed  
  
into the water.  
  
"Normally Damris attends me in the morning, but since she's missing, you'll have to do,"  
  
Hrisoula said.  
  
"Oh, it's no problem, really," Ami said. "What exactly am I supposed to do, out of  
  
curiosity?"  
  
"You shall use the spare oils to massage me when I emerge. Until then, just stand there,"  
  
Hrisoula responded.  
  
"Okay," Ami said. After watching Hrisoula bathe for a little while, she decided it was  
  
worth the trouble, and spoke again. "Um, Hrisoula?"  
  
"Yes, Ami?"  
  
"It's, um, about my wardrobe..."  
  
"Yes? What about it?"  
  
"These are the only clothes I own. And Hotaru only has the one outfit as well, not  
  
counting what was left by Damris..."  
  
"Yes, I see. Hmm. I suppose you wish for me to purchase you a few more garments  
  
each?" Hrisoula questioned her.  
  
"Uh, yes," Ami answered slowly. Had she been too abrupt?  
  
"Nothing simpler," Hrisoula said. "We can get you some things before we open the shop  
  
today."  
  
"Thank you, Hrisoula," Ami replied.  
  
"Not a problem. Now, prepare the oils," Hrisoula stated, and rose from the bath, moved  
  
her robe to the ground, and laid down upon the massaging table. Ami quickly got some oil and  
  
rubbed it on her hands, then carefully masseused the woman's back, rubbing well upon the  
  
shoulders and neck. After a short while, she got a little more oil and massaged her further. Then  
  
a small thought occurred to her.  
  
"Um, do I have to do your front, too?" she asked timidly.  
  
"No, dear, I can handle that myself," Hrisoula answered. "Mm, you know, my dear, I do  
  
believe you're a better masseuse than Damris."  
  
"Am I?" Ami asked.  
  
"Oh, yes. You certainly are."  
  
A few moments later, Ami concluded the massage, and Hrisoula stood up. Ami fetched her  
  
robe and helped Hrisoula into it. They then returned to the kitchen, and Hrisoula asked that Ami  
  
bring her breakfast to the main hall, then rejoin the others for her own. Ami complied, taking  
  
Hrisoula her meal before joining Hotaru and the others for hers.  
  
Shortly after breakfast, Hrisoula departed with Ami and Hotaru, and returned two hours  
  
later, having purchased the girls nine additional outfits to the ones they'd gotten yesterday each,  
  
as well as a pair a sandals for both of them. Afterwards, Hrisoula took Ami back to the stand and  
  
started business for the day, leaving Hotaru home with Iosif and Eleutherios.  
  
Originally, Damris and Eleutherios ran the house while Hrisoula handled the stand, Iosif  
  
ferrying messages as needed between them, as well as taking messages from others who came to  
  
the house. Since she had a servant outstanding, Hrisoula had decided to have Ami assist her at  
  
the stand, since she never did like working it alone.  
  
Actually, she'd been planning to buy one servant more for weeks for that very reason, but  
  
had simply never really gotten around to it. Now the problem had been solved. The only person  
  
who didn't feel comfortable with the arrangement...was Hotaru.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
From here it gets a little dark, people! You have been warned... Next time - chapter 5:  
  
Rape.  
  
Wanna chat? Wanna scream? Wanna just bite my ear off for no good reason? Send me  
  
an e-mail! I'm at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	5. Chapter 5: Rape

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And one is about to have a _really_ bad day...  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 5: Rape  
  
As it turned out, Ami eventually came to believe Hotaru's suspicions were unfounded.   
  
After five days, nothing had happened, at least so far as she saw. Hotaru continued to feel  
  
nervous about Eleutherios, but until he actually tried something, she wouldn't push it.  
  
Iosif was always the perfect gentleman around Ami, and as the days began to pass, it  
  
became increasingly clear that he was indeed infatuated with her. Ami chose not to dissuade him,  
  
but did nothing to encourage him either, wanting not to get involved one way or the other.  
  
Hrisoula proved to be a very decent "master", treating both girls well, and seeing that they  
  
were both well fed, rarely raising her voice except when irritated. Though a bit eccentric in her  
  
ways, she was clearly a good person to all who lived with her. Every now and then she'd  
  
summon one of her servants to the third floor landing to debate a scroll's writings for a while, or  
  
discuss the value of an item she was going to sell, or simply because she'd thought of an errand  
  
she wanted run immediately, but all in all, she was harmless.  
  
As it turned, Hrisoula acquired her wares from traveling caravans mostly, some of the  
  
shawls and busts made by Iosif or herself in their spare time. Most caravans to pass the town  
  
would typically stop along the outskirts during midday. She'd purchase several goods from a  
  
caravan as it passed town, paying those who sold them handsomely, and then sold them out to the  
  
townsfolk at her own prices. Sometimes tourists on foot in very small groups would stop by and  
  
purchase something.  
  
As Ami and Hotaru waited patiently for their friends to retrieve them, three days went by,  
  
then four, then five, and then a whole week had passed since they had arrived. Then two weeks.   
  
After fifteen days, Ami started to worry about what was taking so long.  
  
As for Eleutherios, after six days he began making more sketches...this time of a girl with  
  
short black hair, and violet eyes...  
  
* * *  
  
It was their fifteenth day in Ancient Rome, and Hotaru was washing the morning dishes.   
  
She had found she actually enjoyed the quiet of the afternoon, and was quietly humming to herself  
  
as she scrubbed the plates and pans clean. Iosif had been sent on a special errand to the other side  
  
of the city by Hrisoula that morning, so the only other one in the big house was Eleutherios, but  
  
he was upstairs tending the library on the third floor.  
  
In her opinion, Eleutherios was still creepy, but she still couldn't put her finger on why. It  
  
was as if he was constantly watching her, eyeing her, and at times it felt like he was downright  
  
mentally stripping her! But as the days had gone by, she'd come to deal with her pent up tension,  
  
and was letting it slide until he actually tried something.  
  
What really crept her out more than anything else was that since the first night she'd seen  
  
her mystery watcher at her door five times more after she'd retired for bed. By the ninth day the  
  
recurrence of this, along with several times she felt sure she was being watched but hadn't dared  
  
to look, had driven her to closing her door tightly when she went to bed. But so far on at least  
  
two occurrences since then she had awoken to find the door had been reopened again after she'd  
  
gone to sleep.  
  
But in the end Ami's advice stood, and as the senior Senshi, she had prerogative. Hotaru  
  
just hoped she was right. But for now it was quiet, and she was happy just to be alone with her  
  
thoughts and her humming. Though she did wish the others would get a move on in finding and  
  
retrieving them.  
  
Behind her, Eleutherios stepped into the door, and stared at her, watching her. Hotaru  
  
didn't notice yet, and he didn't make any noise. He just watched, examining every line, every  
  
curve, every strand of hair. Finally, he walked forward.  
  
"Hotaru," he said. Hotaru flinched, her eyes widening in nervousness, yet kept her back  
  
to him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you come upstairs with me a moment? I have something I want to show you," he  
  
said calmly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Come up and you'll see." Hotaru thought about it a moment. *Was this wise? Maybe I  
  
should ask him to wait until Ami and Hrisoula get back... or at least Iosif...*  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Come on, you'll like it. Don't worry, I don't bite," Eleutherios told her. "Unless you  
  
want me to." Gulp!  
  
"Uh...that's nice, Eleutherios, but I still have dishes to wash, so maybe later?"  
  
"Later?" Eleutherios's eyes darkened. *Why hasn't she even turned around?* "Like  
  
when one of the others are back?"  
  
"Can't it wait?" Hotaru whispered, sweat beginning to slide down her cheek. Eleutherios  
  
stared into her head for a while longer, then softened, and turned away, raising a hand to his  
  
chest.  
  
"That hurts, Hotaru," he said, a note of pain in his voice. Hotaru blinked, and despite  
  
herself, turned her head to look at him. "I thought you would trust me after two weeks. I  
  
thought you would like me."  
  
"It's not that I don't like you," Hotaru turned completely. "It's just...well...you sort of...  
  
make me nervous..."  
  
"Nervous?" Eleutherios looked up in surprise. *But is it genuine?* she thought.  
  
"I don't know why...you just...do..." Hotaru said slowly, unsure of how to proceed on  
  
this. Eleutherios moved forward and took her hand.  
  
"All I ask is you come to see something. That's all," he said. "Surely it's not that big a  
  
request?"  
  
"Well..." Hotaru hesitated. *I just know this is a mistake!* "Okay..."  
  
Eleutherios led her from the kitchen and up the stairs. He then drew her to his room, and  
  
she glanced at the desk in the corner. Eleutherios then directed her to the table, quickly lighting  
  
the desk candle so she could see. He lifted one of the drawings on it for her to look at. She  
  
looked at it for a moment, and inwardly cringed.  
  
"Uh, Eleutherios, I don't know what to say," she said. "They're very good."  
  
"Really?" he asked. "You think it's a good likeness? I did try to capture your beautiful  
  
innocence."  
  
"Uh, thank you," Hotaru said as she continued to stare at the hand drawn picture...of  
  
herself. What really bothered her, is that the picture depicted her sitting in a garden with small  
  
animals rustling near her - squirrels, small birds, a cat - while in the nude. Eleutherios picked up  
  
the other parchments and sifted through them, then handed three more to her.  
  
"How do you like these?" he asked. One depicted Hotaru wearing an extremely beautiful  
  
noblewoman's gown in a hallway. Another had her again nude, this time flanked by a pair of  
  
cupids. The third showed her leaning against a pillar, staring at the stars in the night sky - and  
  
once again, she was naked.  
  
"Very...nice. Um, why am I naked in most of them?" she questioned, her brow now  
  
beaded in sweat.  
  
"The best way to capture innocence in art is to divest the subject of their modesty,  
  
Hotaru," Eleutherios explained. "And you're so much more beautiful when nude." Hotaru's  
  
loudest 'AWOOGA, AWOOGA, AWOOGA!' alarms went off at that. The paintings had made  
  
her suspect, but now she was positive! He'd been spying on her, peeping at her, secretly invading  
  
her privacy! She was now sure that _he_ was the one who'd been peering in her room those  
  
nights! She set down the pictures and started to back away.  
  
"Uh, I have to get back to the dishes now..." she said. Eleutherios grabbed her arm, and  
  
turned her to him, something blazing in his eyes.  
  
"You willfully tempt me and tease me, and now you think you can just leave?" he said. "I  
  
heard the invitation, and I'm accepting. You know it's what you want."  
  
"Excuse me?!" Hotaru gasped. "Eleutherios, let go!" Instead, he drug her over to the  
  
bed, and flung her down, hard. He then leaned in, his hands beginning to move over her chest.   
  
Hotaru stared up at him, fear filling her eyes.  
  
"Eleutherios, stop it! Please!!" she screamed. Eleutherios grabbed her chin in his left  
  
hand, staring at her with lust in his eyes.  
  
"No," he said. He began lowering his other hand downward, reaching for her most secret  
  
of parts. Hotaru's fear increased. *Oh, god, he's gonna...* Hotaru began reaching one hand for  
  
her space pocket to get her Saturn Wand. She remembered what Ami had said, but this was an  
  
emergency! She had to get him off of her, even if it meant running him straight through with the  
  
Silence Glaive!  
  
As she inched her hand closer, Eleutherios removed his own from her chin. He then  
  
grabbed both her arms and placed them in one hand, holding them above her head where they  
  
could do nothing. His other hand then returned to stroking her abdomen, then he pulled up her  
  
dress, and stared at her panties in curiosity.  
  
"What an odd loincloth," he said, then rubbed his hand against them, lust once again over  
  
taking his eyes. Hotaru flinched at the unwanted ministrations, and tried to wriggle her hands  
  
free, but Eleutherios's grip held firm. He began to slip his hand inside her panties, clearly wanting  
  
flesh to flesh contact. She shuddered in horror as the end of her innocence drew nearer...  
  
Suddenly a vase popped up over Eleutherios's head, and smashed against it, causing him  
  
to release Hotaru as he fell away in pain and semi-consciousness. Hotaru sighed in relief, then  
  
stared up at her savior.  
  
"Ami?!" she blinked at the blue haired girl standing above her with a broken vase in her  
  
hands.  
  
"I'm guessing that was exactly what I think it was," Ami said, dropping the remnants of  
  
the vase and offering Hotaru a hand up. Hotaru accepted it and got to her feet, fixing her clothes  
  
immediately afterwards. She then aimed for the door, Ami right beside her. She didn't stop  
  
moving until she was out of the house and five houses down the street! And only because Ami  
  
grabbed her arm and stopped her.  
  
"Hotaru, wait! Where are you going?!" she asked. Hotaru turned to look at her.  
  
"I'm not staying in that house anymore, not if he's there! I'm getting the guards and  
  
having him removed!!" Hotaru said flatly.  
  
"Do you really think they'll believe you?" Ami asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Think about it, Hotaru. Technically we're slaves, belonging to Hrisoula. She bought us  
  
after we were charged with thievery! Also, we don't know how long Eleutherios has been with  
  
Hrisoula; she may very well side with him!" Ami explained.  
  
"I can't go back there... I can't!" Hotaru said, her eyes brimming on the point of tears.  
  
"Just try to calm down, Hotaru. Let me think for a moment," Ami said, putting on her  
  
thinking cap. She considered the facts: Eleutherios was obviously a dangerous pedophile, since  
  
he'd specifically targeted Hotaru, and now that she believed Hotaru's uncertain suspicions about  
  
the man, he'd done so most likely right from day one!  
  
The good odds weighed heavily in his favor as the one who saw to the disappearance of  
  
the missing Damris; Ami had to face the very real possibility that she had not run away, but was in  
  
fact murdered by Eleutherios, and then discretely buried somewhere. The only problem was that,  
  
by rights, Iosif should have known what had really happened...unless... She dismissed the  
  
thought, not wanting to dwell on it.  
  
At present, if they maintained the current setup with Hrisoula, even if they managed to  
  
keep Hotaru away from him for the rest of the day, sooner or later he'd have an opportunity to try  
  
again. And next time she may not be able to be there to stop him! The only reason she'd been  
  
there this time was because Hrisoula had discovered she'd left a small statue of a Phoenix in the  
  
library, and had sent Ami to fetch it. When Ami heard Hotaru scream when she got to the second  
  
story landing, she'd run to see what was going on, and saw Eleutherios holding her down on the  
  
bed, groping her, so she'd grabbed the vase from the sitting area and struck down as hard as she  
  
could! And just in time. Wait a sec...the Phoenix!!  
  
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. You go to Hrisoula's stand and wait for me. If  
  
she asks, tell her the truth and pray! I still need to finish the errand I was on when I caught him  
  
on you. Don't worry, I'll be careful," Ami instructed. Hotaru nodded and turned and headed  
  
down the street. Ami then took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and headed back up to the  
  
house and entered again.  
  
She glanced around nervously, half expecting Eleutherios to jump out with a knife or meat  
  
cleaver, ready to kill her for interrupting him. But there was no initial attack. She slowly edged  
  
herself to the stairwell, glancing around for any sign of him. Then she slowly ascended to the  
  
second level, ready for anything.  
  
At this point she quietly pulled her Mercury Wand from its space pocket, and held it at the  
  
ready, just in case. Transforming still held the possibility of alerting the current day Sailor  
  
Mercury to her presence, but compared to the more certain possibility of Eleutherios trying to kill  
  
her for stopping him from raping Hotaru, it was a calculated risk she was _more_ than willing to  
  
take at this point!  
  
She glanced down the hall, but there was no sign of the man. Deciding to chance it, she  
  
nervously edged down the hall, and turned into the side hall to his room. Peering into  
  
Eleutherios's bedroom, she blinked. Eleutherios was rummaging through his chest, shoving  
  
clothes into a large bag, almost as if he was packing his clothes for a long trip. He then went to  
  
his desk and began collecting the parchments into a smaller, lighter bag. If she didn't have her  
  
doubts, she'd swear he was getting ready to make a run for it!  
  
Quietly slipping back to the stairs, she hopped up to the third floor two stairs at a time,  
  
and quickly glanced around. She spotted the Phoenix statue on the writing desk, and quickly  
  
dashed forward and picked it up. It was a small thing, no more than a foot or so high, and the  
  
wingspan was two feet wide at most. It looked to be made of silver, or something very similar.   
  
Unfortunately, it was a little heavier than it looked; it felt like it weighed seventy pounds! It must  
  
have been truly made out of solid metal!  
  
As carefully and quietly as she could, she carried it back to the stairwell, and descended,  
  
stopping briefly on the second floor to glance down the hallway for Eleutherios, but he was  
  
nowhere to be seen as yet. So she dashed down to the first floor as fast as she could. The main  
  
hallway was empty, so she made for the main door, and headed down the street toward the stand  
  
as fast as she could move.  
  
* * *  
  
Hrisoula was accepting the gold for the payment of a small, jewel encrusted bust of  
  
Mercury, the winged messenger god, when Hotaru came up to the stand. She blinked at this;  
  
she'd sent Ami to collect the Phoenix statue she'd forgotten about twenty minutes or so ago, so  
  
why was Hotaru here? And empty handed at that?  
  
"Hotaru? What are you..." she started.  
  
"Hrisoula...Eleutherios...he...he tried to rape me!!" Hotaru spat out, hesitant as she was  
  
unsure as to what Hrisoula's reaction would be.  
  
"WHAT?!" Hrisoula shrieked. Hotaru's eyes widened slightly at the velocity of  
  
Hrisoula's voice. She hadn't thought the woman could scream quite so loud... "Hotaru, I want  
  
you to tell me _exactly_ what happened, and don't leave anything out," Hrisoula instructed her  
  
then. Hotaru took a breath, and recounted the incident, starting from when Eleutherios had  
  
approached her in the kitchen. By the time she got to the point Ami smashed the vase over his  
  
head, Ami finally arrived with the Phoenix statue.  
  
Hotaru stopped short to gawk at the thing. Given the audible thump it made when Ami  
  
set it down on the stand, and how out of breath she was from the exertion, it must have been  
  
made out of solid silver! After setting it down, Ami quietly started panting, clearly exhausted.  
  
"Thank you, Ami. Tell me, did you indeed break a vase over Eleutherios's head?"  
  
Hrisoula questioned her. Hotaru understood why; she was verifying the story.  
  
"Yes, Hrisoula. Eleutherios looked like he was trying to force himself on Hotaru, so I  
  
acted to protect her. Sorry if it was worth anything," Ami replied. Hrisoula nodded.  
  
"Can you tell me exactly what you saw?" she asked. Ami took few deep breaths, and  
  
related her end of the story, reciting how she heard a scream, and ending after she told Hotaru to  
  
come here while she retrieved the statue. Hrisoula listened carefully, and then she made a  
  
decision.  
  
"Eleutherios will answer to the accusation when we return. For now, Hotaru, you shall  
  
stay here. You still look a little shaken up, so take a seat behind the stand if you wish. Ami, we  
  
shall continue with the days sales," Hrisoula instructed. They nodded, and moved around behind  
  
the stand. Hotaru took Hrisoula's advice, and sat down, attempting to steady her shaken nerves.  
  
Now that her adrenaline was finally wearing off, she was feeling wiped.  
  
As Ami moved to Hrisoula's side, the woman turned to get something below the table,  
  
and stopped. She lifted Ami's hand, and glanced at the Mercury Wand still in her hand. Ami  
  
blinked, having forgotten she was still holding it.  
  
"Tell me, what is this?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, just a trinket. It was the last present my mother gave me before she died. Made of  
  
clay, I think," Ami quickly improvised. Fortunately, no one had really asked about where Ami  
  
and Hotaru had come from, allowing them to give any tale they preferred if the subject ever came  
  
up. They had discussed it, and finally agreed that they would claim to be sisters, orphaned and on  
  
their own, though explaining the Wands had never factored into it.  
  
"How interesting. What is this symbol in the crystal?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"Uh, just an old family sigil," Ami said. And it wasn't entirely untrue. A customer arrived  
  
just then, and Hrisoula turned to help him. Ami quickly used the moment to shove the Wand back  
  
in its pocket, and returned to work. After a little while, Hotaru got up and joined them, wanting  
  
to do something useful. The rest of the day etched past slowly, at least to her, and eventually  
  
night fell, and they closed up shop for the day. As they finished closing up, Iosif suddenly arrived,  
  
looking quite pensive.  
  
"Iosif, have you completed the errand I sent you on?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"Hm? Oh, oh yes, I delivered the message to Lord Julianus as you requested, and he held  
  
me for almost an hour while he read it and prepared his reply, which he sent back with me," Iosif  
  
answered, holding up a small scroll, which Hrisoula took. "My lady, something has happened."  
  
"Oh?" Hrisoula blinked, stopping short on opening the scroll.  
  
"Yes," Iosif said. "It's my brother. He...he is gone..."  
  
"Gone?" Hrisoula blinked.  
  
"Yes. I arrived home and began lighting the torches and candles for the night, and when I  
  
reached his room it was empty," Iosif continued.  
  
"I thought he might be," Ami said, and recounted what she saw in his room while  
  
retrieving the Phoenix.  
  
"I see. Then it confirms his guilt of your accusation," Hrisoula decreed. "Only a coward  
  
would run rather than account for himself."  
  
"What accusation? What do you claim he did?" Iosif asked, incredulous that his brother  
  
would do anything wrong.  
  
"It's not what he did, Iosif, but what he tried to do," Ami said.  
  
"He tried to rape me," Hotaru told him flatly, no longer afraid now that Eleutherios was  
  
gone for good.  
  
"WHAT?! HE WOULD NEVER..." Iosif shouted.  
  
"HE DID!!" Hotaru snapped. "The only reason he's still alive to run with his tail between  
  
his legs is because I didn't have a knife handy when he tried it!"  
  
"He raped Damris, didn't he, Iosif?" Ami stared daggers at him. "Her body's buried in  
  
the grounds around the house somewhere, isn't it?"  
  
"What? No, the last I saw of Damris was the night before she left, and she was still  
  
perfectly healthy then! When I went to see why she hadn't come down for breakfast the next  
  
morning, _that's_ the first I knew she was missing," Iosif defended himself.  
  
"I suppose Eleutherios could have buried her in the middle of the night," Ami mused.   
  
"Doesn't really fit the apparent pattern, though."  
  
"Enough!" Hrisoula snapped. "Let us return home, and we'll discuss it there. It is  
  
starting to get cold."  
  
With that, they headed back to the house. As they walked, Hotaru and Ami told Iosif  
  
everything, and he just stared, not wanting to believe it. Upon arrival, Hrisoula suggested he  
  
prepare a simple dinner that evening, then went into the main dining hall. Iosif got started on a  
  
few steaks and eggs while Hotaru returned to the sink to finish the dishes she'd left that  
  
afternoon.  
  
Taking a chance, Ami went upstairs and took a look in his room, and found that  
  
Eleutherios was indeed gone, his chest and desk empty. She went back down, and started helping  
  
Iosif with the evening meal. Before too long, Hotaru finished the dishes, and fetched some bread  
  
from the food cupboard and placed it on the servant's table, then went into the dining hall, to find  
  
Hrisoula sitting at the big table, her head in her hands.  
  
"Something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Ten years, my dear," Hrisoula said quietly. "Ten years he lives in my house, serving me,  
  
respecting me, and then this happens. I just can't believe he'd do such a thing..."  
  
"Sometimes we never get to know someone as well as we think we do," Hotaru said.  
  
"So wise for your age, child," Hrisoula said, looking up. "The truth is, I should have seen  
  
it coming."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Early on, I had Eleutherios handle the messengering, but I got complaints from the  
  
neighborhood. He was deliberately taking longer on some of his assignments than he needed to,  
  
watching neighborhood children, making them nervous. So I gave Iosif the job, and confined  
  
Eleutherios to the house. The complaints stopped. Then I bought Damris. Things seemed fine at  
  
first, but then Damris started getting nervous, agitated. When I asked, she said it was nothing,  
  
but then Iosif told me that she told him that she felt nervous because of his brother, like you did.   
  
But unlike you, she wouldn't admit it. Then she disappeared, and you and Ami arrived, and  
  
then..." Hrisoula spread her hands at this point, leaving the sentence hanging.  
  
"Will you be alright?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"In time, I suppose," she replied. "Why don't you go up and finish lighting the candles  
  
and torches, dear."  
  
"Okay," Hotaru said, and left the room. She obediently went upstairs and began checking  
  
the rooms on the second landing. All the guest quarters were lit up, as were the hall torches.   
  
Checking Iosif's quarters and the one next to it, she found the candles had not yet been lit, and  
  
neither had the one in the room next to Eleutherios's.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to Eleutherios's room, and saw the chest  
  
sitting open, bare. The desk was cleaned off, the only light coming from the candle on the candle  
  
table. Taking another deep breath, she stepped in, grabbed the spare candle from the desk, lit it  
  
on the other candle, then practically beamed herself out of the room, pulling the door closed  
  
behind her, quietly vowing never to enter it again.  
  
Hotaru quickly moved about, lighting the candles in the other three servant quarters  
  
accessible from that side hall, then went to the other hall that accessed her room and Ami's. As  
  
she came first to her door, she blinked to find it closed. She then blinked again when she heard a  
  
voice on the other side.  
  
"Oh, Lady Hrisoula got these for... wait... these aren't mine..." a young, feminine voice  
  
said on the opposite side of the door. Hotaru's eyes widened. *It couldn't be...*  
  
Without another moment's hesitation, she opened the door... and found a young girl of  
  
about eleven or twelve with long gray black hair in a braid sitting on her legs in front of the open  
  
chest, holding one of Hotaru's togas, who turned to look at her with quiet hazel eyes wearing a  
  
light turquoise toga. Next to her was a barefoot little boy of about four or five, who looked like  
  
he was desperately in need of a bath, wearing what amounted to a rag, with slightly darker hair  
  
than the girl, and the same shy hazel orbs. He also had marks on his wrists and ankles, as though  
  
something tight had been pressed against them until very recently, and he looked minorly  
  
malnourished. Hotaru stared at them for a moment, and vice versa.  
  
"Damris?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Who are you?" the girl blinked.  
  
* * *  
  
Ami and Iosif worked quietly, preparing dinner for the few who remained in the house.   
  
Iosif clearly was still in shock about his brother, as he hadn't said anything in several minutes and  
  
was just puttering away, as though on automatic. She hadn't really said anything either, not  
  
wanting to upset him further. She had firmly decided that the next morning she was going to  
  
closely examine the house grounds and some of the area slightly beyond. If Damris's body was  
  
still close by, there would be some sign of where it was buried - a place that had been upturned  
  
within the last few weeks.  
  
Suddenly, Iosif slammed the cooking fork down, clearly getting agitated. His face  
  
grimaced, his hands squeezing the clay edges of the grill.  
  
"I...I just...I just can't...believe it," he said. "How could I be so...blind?!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Ami asked.  
  
"I knew he found them attractive, Damris and Hotaru. Attractive as women, not girls. He  
  
practically came out and told me so. I heard him say it, but I didn't listen to him, not really," Iosif  
  
said, his face showing his anguish. Ami watched him for a moment, contemplating whether or not  
  
this was just an act. In the end, she decided his shock and horror were true.  
  
Wrapping her arm around him comfortingly, she told him, "Sometimes we don't _want_  
  
to listen. If it were my brother, I don't think I'd want to believe he'd be capable of such a thing,  
  
either." Iosif stared at her for a moment, then placed an arm around her, too.  
  
"Thank you for being here, Ami," he said. "You're so kind." Ami couldn't help smiling  
  
warmly. Just then a voice cleared behind them, and they turned to see Hotaru standing at the  
  
entry to the kitchen.  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but you're going to have to prepare for two more  
  
for dinner," she said with a small Cheshire grin. "Oh, and Iosif? You're off the hook!" They  
  
looked at her incredulously. *The stress must have snapped her mind,* Ami thought.  
  
"What do you mean, Hotaru?" Hrisoula asked, stepping into the kitchen via the adjoining  
  
door to the dining area. Hotaru grinned a little wider, and ducked back into the hall a minute,  
  
then came back in, dragging a young girl behind her. Ami blinked, and Iosif and Hrisoula's eyes'  
  
went wide.  
  
"Who...?" Ami started to ask.  
  
"DAMRIS?!" Iosif and Hrisoula echoed each other perfectly.  
  
"Hello, Iosif. It's nice to see you again," Damris said to the man. Then she turned to the  
  
mistress of the house, and bowed before her. "Please forgive my unannounced trip, my lady, but I  
  
dared not waste time."  
  
"Hold on! Just a minute! _This_ is Damris?!" Ami shrieked. "She's supposed to be dead!  
  
Eleutherios was supposed to have raped and killed her!"  
  
"Misconception," Hotaru said. "She just went to get her brother, that's all."  
  
"Brother?" Hrisoula's eyes widened further.  
  
"You never said anything about a brother," Iosif said. Damris stood up and slipped into  
  
the hall, then returned with a small boy. Ami gasped in shock at the child's condition. *What  
  
happened to him?!*  
  
"Lady Hrisoula, this is my brother, Zacharias. Zacharias, this is the mistress of the house,  
  
Lady Hrisoula, and that's my friend and fellow servant, Iosif," she introduced him. Then she  
  
looked at Ami. "You I don't know."  
  
"This is my sister, Ami. She was brought in the same time I was," Hotaru told her.  
  
"Oh," Damris said. "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Ami," she quickly bowed.  
  
"Hello," Zacharias said.  
  
"Um, Damris, if I could ask you, where exactly did you go, and why is your brother like  
  
that?" Ami inquired.  
  
"Indeed, what happened?" Iosif asked.  
  
"In due time, my friends. For now, Iosif, finish the meal, and see that the boy gets a share  
  
of the first batch," Hrisoula instructed. "Today I think we'll all dine at the main dining table, so  
  
that Damris can explain herself fully to _all_ of us."  
  
"As you wish, my lady," Iosif said, then realized he'd left the steaks and eggs sitting there,  
  
and whipped around to see if he could still save them, Ami following right behind.  
  
"We better get some more stuff for you two," Hotaru said, and went to the food  
  
cupboard, Damris just behind. Zacharias started to follow, but Hrisoula stepped up, bent down  
  
and took his hand.  
  
"Why don't you come with me into the dining room for now and keep out of their way,  
  
okay honey?" she asked. Zacharias looked at her nervously, then turned to his sister.  
  
"Damris?" he asked.  
  
"It's okay, Zacharias," Damris stopped and glanced back at him. "Lady Hrisoula won't  
  
hurt you."  
  
"Really?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, really."  
  
"Okay," he said, and walked into the main dining room with Hrisoula. Damris then  
  
continued into the food cupboard with Hotaru and helped her get the additional food items for  
  
dinner. The two young girls then helped Iosif and Ami prepare the meal, and in due course it was  
  
dished onto the plates.  
  
Hotaru and Damris took two of the plates in first, setting one before Hrisoula and the  
  
other in front of Zacharias who was sitting just to Hrisoula's right. The boy was currently  
  
giggling at some jokes Hrisoula was telling him. The girls then went back into the kitchen and got  
  
their own meals, Iosif and Ami having placed all the remaining food onto plates. The four took  
  
their plates into the main room, Ami grabbing the bread from the servant's table Hotaru had left  
  
there earlier.  
  
Damris sat down next to her brother, and Hotaru sat next to her, while Iosif took a seat to  
  
Hrisoula's left, and Ami sat down next to him, lacing the bread in the center of the table as  
  
she sat down. Once everyone was comfortable, Hrisoula spoke up.  
  
"Well, this has been a _very_ interesting day so far. Eleutherios has run off to avoid  
  
punishment for his crime, and Damris has returned to us, with a new occupant for the house  
  
besides," she said. "I must say, it is quite unexpected." Hotaru noted that the woman seemed to  
  
be regaining her equilibrium with the world, or was just putting up an act.  
  
"I am sorry about leaving so suddenly, but it was urgent," Damris apologized again as  
  
they began to eat their meal. "Wait, what do you mean Eleutherios has left? I thought he was in  
  
the garden."  
  
"Is all this for me?" Zacharias asked, his eyes wide at the plate of food in front of him.  
  
"Yes, Zacharias, it's all yours," Hrisoula told him, and he began shoveling it in as though  
  
he hadn't had enough to eat for a long time. Hrisoula then turned back to Damris.  
  
"Eleutherios departed earlier today, Damris, after attempting to force Hotaru to sleep with  
  
him," Hrisoula told her, and Damris's eyes went wide.  
  
"He what?" she asked.  
  
"Damris, did Eleutherios ever show you some pictures he drew of you?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Pictures?" she blinked. "Well, yes, once. I asked what he did with them, and he said he  
  
sold some to some art collectors five streets away."  
  
"Did he try and shove you onto the bed?" Ami asked.  
  
"No, after he answered the question I asked how much he got for them. He said around  
  
twenty to thirty gold a piece, so I volunteered to pose directly for some of his works in exchange  
  
for half of what he was paid for them. That's how I got the money to save Zacharias," Damris  
  
told them.  
  
"Then he never tried to have sex with you?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"No! Never! Well..." Damris replied, then trailed off.  
  
"What?" Iosif asked, his eyes filling with fear. At this point, Zacharias looked up from his  
  
steak at his sister.  
  
"Well... he said I'd owe him a favor for not telling you where I was going and covering  
  
for me till I got back," she said reluctantly. "He didn't say what, just that I would, and it seemed  
  
like he was indicating it would be done in his quarters..." Ami and Hotaru digested these facts  
  
while Hrisoula rested her forehead in her hand again, her elbow on the table. Iosif just leaned  
  
back, accepting the truth.  
  
"I think I see it, now," Ami said.  
  
"See what?" Zacharias asked, clearly confused, but aware something was bothering  
  
everyone.  
  
"Eleutherios was planning to rape Damris, after she got home with her brother," Ami said.  
  
"But on the same day she set out, Hotaru and I wound up in Hrisoula's keeping."  
  
"Suddenly he had a fresh target to work on, and eventually just couldn't wait," Hotaru  
  
finished. "So he decided to take me in order to tide himself over until you actually got back, or maybe  
  
he'd just decided to have me on account." Damris's head swam.  
  
"I knew there was something wrong with him," she said, "what with the way he always  
  
looked at me as though he were hungry somehow. I just never imagined he would ever intend to  
  
go so far."  
  
"Well, the only thing to be done now is to put a price out on him," Hrisoula said. "In the  
  
meantime, dear, why don't you tell us what exactly happened to your brother. I think questions  
  
were flying in that direction earlier."  
  
"Yes, why does he look like he's been starved and abused?" Ami asked.  
  
"You can thank Korudon for that. He was our previous owner in Jersthis," Damris said.   
  
"He was always a brute to me and my brother. When he sold me to a slave trader named Biagio,  
  
I begged him to buy Zacharias, too, but Korudon refused to sell him for anything less than three  
  
hundred gold pieces! After that, Biagio brought me here and sold me to you, Lady Hrisoula,  
  
cleaning me up in the meantime. When I learned what Eleutherios made from his drawings, it  
  
seemed like a gift from the gods themselves, and I went for it. When I finally had a little over  
  
three hundred gold saved up in my chest, I packed some food for what I thought would be a five  
  
day trip there, and another five days back, a few extra items of clothing, and went."  
  
"I take it the trip took longer than you thought," Hotaru stated.  
  
"Three and a half days longer," Damris confirmed.  
  
"And this 'Korudon' just sold you your brother, just like that?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"Well, not 'just like that,'" Damris said. "Actually..."  
  
* * *  
  
After eight long days of walking, Damris had finally made it back to Jersthis. The town  
  
was as opulent as she remembered it - richly designed buildings, elegant statues of the gods, even  
  
copper plated fountains. But to her, it was all a facade, just a cheap farce hiding the town's true  
  
colors. Colors of greed, conspiracy, and decadence.  
  
As she began to pass along the streets to reach the tavern she was heading for, she noted  
  
that several imperial troops were in town. Looked like practically a whole regiment! As she drew  
  
nearer, her stomach began to growl, so she found an empty place near a fountain and sat down.   
  
Her food supply was starting to get a little low, but she had enough excess to cover refilling her  
  
food bag before leaving the town, she hoped.  
  
Quickly eating some bread and a couple of carrots, she felt a little better, and stood up to  
  
get moving again. Just then, one of the last persons she wanted to have to see while she was here  
  
turned up.  
  
"Damris? Korudon's little slave bitch? Is that you?" the balding, greasy man asked.  
  
"Hello, Panos," she told him, and turned to go. Panos grabbed her arm and held fast.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" he said. "I recall Korudon selling you to trader Biagio five months  
  
ago. So what are you doing back here? And alone for that matter?" Fortunately, she had  
  
thought ahead enough to prepare for just such an eventuality.  
  
"I belong to the Lady Hrisoula now, in Tercham," she told him, bringing a copy of the  
  
receipt scroll Hrisoula had gotten upon buying her she'd made up. "I was given her personal  
  
permission to return and purchase my brother for her in her name." Panos looked over the scroll,  
  
and tossed it aside.  
  
"A fake, no doubt," he said. "I bet you ran away, and were planning to steal that  
  
worthless ass brother of yours, weren't you?" Now Damris began to worry. She hadn't thought  
  
the half truth would be taken for a total fib!  
  
"Looks genuine to me," a voice said. They both turned, to see one of the soldiers  
  
examining the receipt scroll. "Release her."  
  
"Excuse me?" Panos said. "Just who do you think you are?"  
  
"I think," the soldier said, "that I am a Lieutenant in the Caesar's army, and as such speak  
  
with his voice. Now release her, unless you wish to die."  
  
Panos stared at the Lieutenant for a few moments, then let go of Damris, turned, and  
  
scurried away as fast as his legs could carry him. The Lieutenant then turned his attention to  
  
Damris, returning the scroll, which she placed in her bag.  
  
"Thank you, sir. I am in your debt," she told him.  
  
"No problem," he told her. "I just named myself arbiter and made a judgement call."  
  
"Um, could you retain that role a little longer?" she asked.  
  
"Why?" he asked back.  
  
"Well, the man I intend to deal with...can be...stubborn," she explained. The Lieutenant  
  
thought it over for a few moments, then shrugged.  
  
"Sure, lead the way," he said. Damris sighed with relief, and started walking again. Since  
  
it had been so long since she'd been in town last, it took her a while to relocate the tavern, but  
  
about thirty minutes later she located it, took a deep breath, and, with the Lieutenant just behind,  
  
stepped inside one more time.  
  
The place, as usual, had the air of rankness to it, several unsavory looking clientele milling  
  
about, their noses in their drinks and food. Also around today were several soldiers, probably  
  
ones off duty or on break. They seemed to be everywhere today. Some were carousing and  
  
making other assorted noise.  
  
Just then she saw her brother for the first time in several months, sweeping the floor next  
  
to where one of the rowdier soldiers was sitting, his ankles still in chains, as were his wrists. He  
  
looked actually worse than when she last saw him! As he turned around, his small eyes laid on  
  
her, and lit up.  
  
"Damris!" he cried, dropping his broom, and waddled over to her as fast as his manacled  
  
feet could go. When he got to her, she kneeled down, dropped her bags, and squeezed him in a  
  
hug as much as his chained wrists would allow. They hugged only for a few brief moments, then  
  
she pulled back, grabbed her bags, and stood up.  
  
"Where's Korudon?" she asked. Before Zacharias could answer, the man himself  
  
appeared, all three hundred twenty bald, sweaty, yellow toothed, meaty handed, cruel coal eyed  
  
pounds of him.  
  
"I don't recall saying you could stop, brat!" he growled, then noticed Damris. "You?!   
  
When did you get back? And who was stupid enough to take off your chains?!" he growled  
  
deeper.  
  
"In order of asking, sir, I got back today, and the chains were removed five months ago on  
  
the order of my new mistress, Lady Hrisoula of Tercham," she said, once again pulling out the  
  
receipt copy and showing it to him. Korudon glanced it over a moment, and then looked up at  
  
the Lieutenant, who had quietly watched all.  
  
"You believe this to be authentic?" he asked the soldier, turning the parchment to let him  
  
see the writing. The Lieutenant glanced at it briefly, having already seen it once.  
  
"As far as I can tell, yes," he said.  
  
"So what are you doing back? Where is this Lady Hrisoula?" Korudon inquired.  
  
"My Lady is back in Tercham; I came alone," Damris said, pulling the large money bag  
  
from her clothes bag. "With her permission, I have come with the gold to pay for my brother."   
  
She placed the bag on a table, and poured it out, dropping many gold coins upon the table.   
  
"Three hundred gold, as you stated the price to be when I was sold."  
  
Korudon stared at the money, his eyes wide. At this point some of the patrons had turned  
  
to see what was going on, and some were also staring at the huge pile of money.  
  
"Only three hundred?" Korudon finally asked. "And how, pray tell, did you get this  
  
money? Were you selling yourself on the side while serving this 'Lady Hrisoula'? Or does she  
  
run a whore house, using you to satisfy some of her own clientele?"  
  
"No, I didn't, and she doesn't," Damris said. "I posed for several drawings and was  
  
allowed a piece of the profits from them. That's why I didn't come sooner; it took longer than I  
  
thought to make this much."  
  
"Well, well done, then," Korudon said. "But I'm not selling."  
  
"What?" Damris said, unbelieving.  
  
"If I sell him, I won't have anyone left to clean this place," he said. "It became  
  
troublesome enough to keep it even moderately clean after I made the mistake of selling you to  
  
Biagio."  
  
"With that much gold you can buy half a dozen slaves to replace us!" Damris snapped.  
  
"I think someone's forgotten her lessons!" Korudon's eyes darkened, and his hand pulled  
  
up a whip hitched to his belt. Damris began to cringe, not wanting to feel the thing again.   
  
Korudon raised the whip, pulled back, and snapped it forward.  
  
It never hit the target.  
  
The Lieutenant's hand caught the whip in mid stride, and he shoved the man back onto his  
  
fat ass. He then bent over, and quickly snagged the key dangling from the front of his belt.  
  
"This the one for the manacles?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Damris said. "He always wears it there to torment us." The Lieutenant quickly  
  
moved over to Zacharias, and undid his manacles. "I've made my payment, Korudon. He's free  
  
now. Goodbye," Damris said, grabbed her bags, and lead her brother out of the tavern, the  
  
Lieutenant following after them.  
  
Once outside, Damris headed for the edge of town, stopping briefly at a small food cart to  
  
use her remaining funds to purchase sufficient food for the trip back. Near the edge, Zacharias  
  
pulled on her skirt.  
  
"Damris, where are we going?" he asked.  
  
"To Tercham, Zacharias," Damris said. "Don't worry. No one will ever whip you or  
  
starve you again. I promise."  
  
"Would you like a lift?" a voice said behind them, and Damris turned to see the Lieutenant  
  
behind her still.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"My regiment is only stopping here for the day," he told her. "In the morning, we start  
  
out for Rome. I believe we come within range of Tercham along the way. We can drop you off if  
  
you like." Damris stared for a moment.  
  
"Why you do this?" Zacharias's small voice asked.  
  
"Yes, why are you doing this? And why did you stop Korudon back there?" Damris asked  
  
him.  
  
"Simple," the Lieutenant said, "I was a slave myself, once. My owner sold me off to the  
  
army to avoid having to go himself. Doubt he ever expected me to make rank before the fighting  
  
in Germania ended, or to survive that long, either."  
  
"Oh," Damris said. "Well, then...okay, I accept."  
  
The Lieutenant quietly sequestered them in his tent for the day, and the next morning, as  
  
stated, they set out. After four days of travel, the Lieutenant dropped them near a small field.  
  
"I'm afraid this is as close as we get to Tercham," he told them. "But I believe it's not  
  
too far from here."  
  
"That's okay," Damris said, as she recognized the path she'd used to get to Jersthis. "We  
  
can make it on our own easy from here. Thank you again."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Zacharias said. The Lieutenant just smiled.  
  
"No problem," he said, "Anything for fellow slaves. See you around." With that, they  
  
traveled on alone, and after two more days travel reached the city just as it was getting dark.   
  
Damris decided it would be best just to go straight to the house, and quickly walked her brother  
  
through the streets of Tercham. Arriving at the house, she noticed it seemed only partially lit, but  
  
figured that Iosif and Eleutherios hadn't finished lighting the candles and torches yet.  
  
She slipped inside, and quickly took her brother up to the second floor and to her room.   
  
Slipping inside, she noticed the candle hadn't been lit yet for the night, so she left her brother and  
  
bags in the room while she took it out to the nearest lit torch and lit it. Returning to her room,  
  
she sat it down on the candle table, closed the door, and sat down on her bed to catch her breath  
  
for a few moments. Zacharias was sitting on the bed already. After six days of fairly full meals,  
  
he was starting to look healthier, unlike the bag of bones he was under Korudon.  
  
"Damris, why are we here?" he asked.  
  
"This is where we live now, Zacharias," she said. "Don't worry, the other people who  
  
live here are nice, not at all like Korudon." Now all she had to do was convince Lady Hrisoula to  
  
let him stay! Zacharias calmed a little, but was still a little nervous. Damris opened her bag and  
  
set her dirty clothes aside to wash them later. Then she set the food bag next to the door,  
  
planning to put the remaining food in the food cupboard later. Lastly she took the last of her gold  
  
coins, the four or five she'd managed not to spend, and opened the chest to stow them inside.   
  
Zacharias moved over to the chest and looked in it curiously.  
  
"What are these?" he asked, pointing to the dresses.  
  
"Oh, Lady Hrisoula got these for...," she said, then paused, lifting out a purple toga she'd  
  
never seen before. And a few others she'd never seen before were sitting under it. "Wait... these  
  
aren't mine..." she said. A few brief moments later she heard the door open, and turned to see a  
  
girl that looked about a year older than her with short cut black hair and violet eyes wearing a  
  
simple orange dress with yellow lacings standing in the door frame, holding a candle holder in one  
  
hand, a lit candle in it.  
  
"Damris?" she asked.  
  
"Who are you?" Damris blinked. She'd never seen this girl before in her life!  
  
* * *  
  
"After that I introduced myself, and explained how you bought me and Ami to replace her  
  
after she'd run off, and she told me why she'd actually left," Hotaru said.  
  
"I am terribly sorry," Damris said once more, "But I was afraid if I waited any longer,  
  
Zacharias might have been...dead...or sold to someone worse by the time I got there. The gods  
  
were really with me lately."  
  
"Indeed they were, Damris," Hrisoula said. "Indeed they were."  
  
"So, can Zacharias stay?" Ami asked, concern for the small boy in her eyes.  
  
"Of course he can," Hrisoula said. By this time the meal was generally finished by all, and  
  
most of the bread had gone to filling Zacharias's tummy. He'd been quiet all throughout  
  
Damris's telling of her tale.  
  
"So, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" Hotaru asked. "I mean, me,  
  
Damris, and Zacharias can't all sleep in the same room."  
  
"Indeed not," Hrisoula agreed. "How about this; Zacharias shall be given the quarters  
  
next to Iosif's as his own, and Hotaru, you shall be moved into Eleutherios's. He won't be  
  
needing it."  
  
"Okay," Damris said.  
  
"No," Hotaru said. The others looked at her, Iosif, Damris, and Hrisoula shocked at her  
  
refusal. "I am never setting foot in that room again! Period!"  
  
"Okay, how about this," Ami suggested. "I'll give Hotaru my quarters, and take the one  
  
next to Eleutherios's. That way none of us have to go near it again."  
  
"Okay," Hotaru said.  
  
"I can live with that," Hrisoula accepted the offer.  
  
"Oh, and one more thing," Ami said, "Could I have Eleutherios's desk?"  
  
* * *  
  
The move was made quickly, and soon everyone was settled into their new quarters.   
  
Hrisoula agreed to Ami's request, and the desk was moved into her new quarters. Ami had  
  
momentarily considered taking Eleutherios's quarters, but having seen what the man was trying to  
  
do to her friend in there, it just felt too creepy.  
  
The next day, Zacharias was the first to be bathed, and then was taken with Damris and  
  
Hrisoula into town, and clothes bought for him. Soon after he was dressed in a proper blue toga,  
  
and except for his thinness, looked like a whole new person. Shortly thereafter, Hrisoula had  
  
gone and removed the price on Damris, and put a new one Eleutherios. And feeling torqued at  
  
his crime, had added the stipulation, "Payment upon return - Alive or Dead."  
  
Over the next three days, more food was put into him, and soon Zacharias's weight rose  
  
to a level that made him nearly indistinguishable from any other healthy little boy his age. At the  
  
same time he grew more and more comfortable with Iosif, Ami, and Hotaru, and Hrisoula doted  
  
on him as though he were her own.  
  
However, Damris had not told the absolute truth. When she had showed Korudon her  
  
money, he had actually taken her and the Lieutenant into the back to talk privately for a moment.   
  
After the Lieutenant had stopped the whip, in a sudden burst of anger and rage, Damris had  
  
grabbed the sword from the soldier's sheath, and ran it through the pompous bastard. The  
  
Lieutenant then quietly reclaimed his sword, cleaned it, and resheathed it while Damris calmed  
  
back down. Damris caught her breath, and returned the gold to it's bag, and placed it back in her  
  
travel bag.  
  
"Guess I don't have to pay him after all," she'd said, and then the key had been taken.   
  
Every other word had been true, except where the amount of money she had left had been  
  
concerned.  
  
* * *  
  
Ami and Hotaru had now been living in Ancient Rome for eighteen days, and there was  
  
still no sign of the others locating them to bring them home as yet. On this day, the ball game  
  
changed again.  
  
That day, Hrisoula had received a letter from a cousin in Rome itself, and had been  
  
thinking all day whilst she worked. That evening, she called her household together.  
  
"Tomorrow, I want you all to pack your things," she told them. "We're going on a  
  
journey." Sitting in the room were two new bags freshly purchased from Tertius, which Hrisoula  
  
handed to Hotaru and Zacharias. "You can use these," she told them.  
  
"Where are we going?" Ami asked.  
  
"The Caesar Commodus has returned to Rome and announced the starting of a special  
  
series of games in the Colosseum. I have decided that we shall take a holiday for the next four  
  
weeks," Hrisoula explained. "Until our return, I have asked Tertius to pass by the house once a  
  
day, or have Kalie do it, to make sure it remains undisturbed. We shall be joining a small caravan  
  
heading to Rome tomorrow that has stopped near town to purchase supplies."  
  
"Commodus?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Yes," Ami said. "He was Caesar after Marcus Aurelius."  
  
"Was?" Iosif asked.  
  
"The news is that Marcus Aurelius only died about a week or so ago," Hrisoula stated.   
  
"Commodus is the Caesar now."  
  
"Right, that's what I meant," Ami said sheepishly.  
  
"Any road," Hrisoula said, "Tomorrow, we leave for Rome."  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
So, anyone out there get the chills? Admit it, I'm good! Next time - Chapter 6: Reunion.   
  
Don't miss it now!  
  
Wanna talk? Wanna go for my jugular? E-mail me at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! I'll be  
  
waiting! 


	6. Chapter 6: Reunion

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And now Ami and Hotaru are off to Rome itself!  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 6: Reunion  
  
That evening after dinner, Hotaru went through her dresses, and set her purple toga aside  
  
for the next morning, then carefully packed the rest into her new bag. She removed her current  
  
dress, the orange one, and laid it on her chest, then donned her night dress. As she finished  
  
putting it on, she heard a knock at the door.  
  
"Who is it?" she called, not taking any chances.  
  
"Just me, Hotaru," Ami's voice called back. Hotaru walked over to the door, and opened  
  
it. Ami held out her hands, which held some familiar garments in them - the ones she'd been  
  
wearing the day they'd been shot back in time. "I thought you might like these back since you  
  
have your own bag now," she said. Hotaru blinked. After they'd settled into the house, they'd  
  
both taken to wearing togas and roman dresses so as to fit in with the time, and she had sort of  
  
forgotten about their original garments.  
  
"Thank you, Ami," Hotaru said, and took the blouse, skirt, and socks and sneakers over  
  
to her bag and placed them carefully inside. "Anything else?"  
  
"Well," Ami said thoughtfully, "I was wondering... Do you understand what Hrisoula  
  
means about 'games' in the Colosseum?"  
  
"Gambling?" Hotaru beamed back at her, and Ami face faulted. "Just kidding, Ames. She  
  
means gladiator stuff, right? Like in the historical shows on the History Channel, or that old Bugs  
  
Bunny/Yosemite Sam cartoon?"  
  
"Yes," Ami replied, resuming her proper footing. "Only this will be very real, with people  
  
dying, and there's nothing we can do to stop it!"  
  
"You think I'd want to?" Hotaru asked. "If possible, I want to stay away from the  
  
Colosseum!" She then thought for a moment. "Unless they throw Eleutherios in with the lions  
  
without a sword. That I'll be too happy to watch," she added.  
  
"Hotaru!" Ami snapped. "You're a Sailor Soldier! You know better than that! You  
  
shouldn't wish such a fate on anyone, no matter what they've done!"  
  
"Sorry, Ami," Hotaru said, admonished. "I just can't help being angry at him and hating  
  
him after... you know..."  
  
"I understand how you feel, Hotaru, honest," Ami said softly. "But as Sailor Soldiers, it's  
  
our duty to _protect_ people, not hurt them."  
  
"I know," Hotaru replied. "I know."  
  
Listening from her own door, Damris couldn't help but blink. *Sailor Soldier? What's a  
  
Sailor Soldier?*  
  
* * *  
  
The next day at sunrise, the house was closed, the doors locked tight, and the six residents  
  
thereof walked out of town and up to the caravan as it was getting ready to ship off. Ami wore  
  
her shawl that day, not wanting to attract unwanted attention.  
  
The caravan consisted of eight huge passenger wagons, at least forty feet long and fifteen  
  
feet high each, and at least half a dozen smaller wagons for the servants about twelve to fifteen  
  
feet long and nine feet high each, as well as at least ten five foot long by four and half foot high  
  
carts that carried food supplies, water, and other heavy baggage. The large wagons had six to  
  
eight horse hitched to them and eight wheels, four of which were in the center, the lighter wagons  
  
four to six horses and six wheels, and the baggage carts had six horses each and a standard four  
  
wheel setup.  
  
Hrisoula booked them passage aboard, and was taken to the third large wagon and helped  
  
aboard. She instructed Iosif to ride with her, and to bring up Zacharias as well. The boy glanced  
  
at his sister, but she just smiled.  
  
"It's okay, Zacharias," Damris told him, "I'll only be a few wagons down the way with  
  
Ami and Hotaru. You'll be just fine with Lady Hrisoula."  
  
"Okay," Zacharias said nervously, and let himself be handed up to Hrisoula by Iosif, who  
  
climbed in just behind. Iosif then turned and looked back as he was handed a slip by the  
  
attendant.  
  
"Take care, ladies," he said. "Ami, my dear, I shall think of you constantly until we arrive  
  
in Rome."  
  
"Thanks, Iosif," Ami blushed, "But's it not like you won't be able to see me while we're  
  
traveling."  
  
"Don't be so sure," Iosif said, and slipped inside. Hrisoula then popped her head back  
  
out.  
  
"Ami, as the eldest, I want you in charge of them," she stated, indicating Hotaru and  
  
Damris. "Make sure they stay out of trouble."  
  
"Yes, Hrisoula," Ami replied.  
  
"Oh yes, we are just little kids who like to jump in the mud," Hotaru sing songed.   
  
"Gimme a break!" Hrisoula smirked lightly and slipped back inside.  
  
"Okay, let's go," Ami said, taking charge as instructed. She turned to the attendant who  
  
had brought them to the cart, and asked, "Where do we stay?" He glanced at his papers.  
  
"You three ride in Servant Cart Four, this way," he said, and lead them down the line to  
  
the twelfth cart in the caravan, and instructed them to board, handing Ami a small page as he did  
  
so. "Berths five to seven," he said, and then walked on to take care of other duties before  
  
departure.  
  
The three hopped in and looked around. The cart's interior was simple; four small bunk  
  
bed like affairs along each side, with a small area near the rear for storing small bags and such.   
  
Other servant passengers already were lying quietly on their bunks or talking with each other  
  
while awaiting the caravan's departure. A quick glance saw ten in all.  
  
Ami glanced at the paper she'd been given. It read, "Servant Berths V, VI, and VII leased  
  
by Lady Hrisoula of Tercham for servants Ami, Damris, and Hotaru." Glancing at the beds, she  
  
saw that Roman Numerals were engraved on small gold plates nailed to the bottom side board of  
  
each bunk. Following them down, she reached the last two bunks, one marked "V" on top and  
  
"VI" on bottom, and the other marked "VII" and "VIII" respectively.  
  
"Here's ours," Ami said.  
  
"How do you know?" Damris asked.  
  
"It's right here on the sheet," Ami replied and handed her the paper. Damris looked at it  
  
for a moment before looking back at them.  
  
"Uh, I can understand the numbers," she said, "but the rest is, well, gibberish..."  
  
"You can't read?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Not really," Damris admitted. Ami just smiled.  
  
"That's okay," she said. "We can teach you while we're on route. Hrisoula let me  
  
borrow some of the scrolls from her library to read."  
  
"Really?" Damris blinked. "Thanks."  
  
"Anyway," Ami said, then indicated the three appropriate bunks, "These are our bunks  
  
while we're here."  
  
"Dibs on a top bunk!" Hotaru cried, and jumped up into berth V.  
  
"Sneak!" Damris said, and quickly hopped up onto berth VII next to Hotaru's. Ami  
  
shook her head quietly and sat down on the lower berth VI, setting her bags to one side, having  
  
been allowed another one for the scrolls by Hrisoula. She sat the pillow up against the post so she  
  
could lean against it comfortably for a moment.  
  
"Hey, Ami," Hotaru said, dropping her head over the side of the bunk, "How long do you  
  
think it'll take us to get to Rome?"  
  
"Depends on how far away we are," Ami said. Three more people entered the wagon,  
  
two taking berths across the way, and one taking berth VIII under Damris, a young man of about  
  
sixteen wearing a simple brown toga and a defeated look.  
  
"Well, this wagon is full, anyway," Hotaru commented. "Can't be long before we ship off  
  
to Rome."  
  
"I'm in no rush," the young man said. "My master takes me there to die in the  
  
Colosseum."  
  
"Gee, I'm sorry," Hotaru said. A few moments later there was noise up at the front of the  
  
wagon of men climbing into the driver's seats, and then a moment later the wagon began to jostle  
  
as it started to move.  
  
"Here we go, Hotaru," Damris said. "We're going to see the grandest city in the whole  
  
_world_ soon!"  
  
"Yeah," Hotaru grinned, "Can't wait." Ami just lied back and rested for a little while  
  
longer.  
  
* * *  
  
In Passenger Wagon three, Hrisoula had set her stuff down at her berth. Here the decor  
  
was more posh, the beds done in semi elegance. Hrisoula had been given berth IV, and Iosif and  
  
Zacharias were using berths V and VI next to it. Unlike the Servant Wagons, the beds were set  
  
up in one standard bed, and one bunk bed next to it, five times over on each side, allowing for  
  
fifteen passengers a side, thirty in all.  
  
Iosif had taken berth VI, and had helped Zacharias up to berth V. Hrisoula had given the  
  
boy some toy blocks she'd picked up for him on the way out of the city, and he was busy playing  
  
with them in his bunk when the caravan commenced movement. Iosif was sitting quietly on his  
  
bunk, his back to the tarp, and Hrisoula was looking at a scroll, glancing up only briefly when the  
  
wagon began to move.  
  
Zacharias looked up, and nervousness filled his eyes.  
  
"Damris?" he asked quietly. Hrisoula looked up, and saw the boy's pensive state. She  
  
rose and patted him on the back comfortingly.  
  
"It's okay Zacharias, it's okay," she said, "We've just started on our way, that's all."   
  
Zacharias leaned over and timidly hugged Hrisoula, who hugged him back.  
  
"You're really nice, Lady Hrisoula," Zacharias said. "I wish you were our mommy."  
  
"Well," Hrisoula's eyes softened in a way Iosif had never really seen before, "You never  
  
know..."  
  
* * *  
  
The caravan traveled for what seemed like forever. As the time passed, Ami and Hotaru  
  
began teaching Damris how to read, and Zacharias and Hrisoula grew closer. On two occasions,  
  
the caravan stopped at another town and re-supplied, and some passengers left and others took  
  
their place.  
  
The daily routine was simple - the caravan traveled at a brisk pace until midday, then  
  
stopped to allow the horses and drivers and attendants and passengers to have a quick meal and to  
  
relieve themselves, then pushed forward again until about an hour after nightfall, when they  
  
stopped for a decent supper and a good night's sleep. It was no mystery, however, that the  
  
wealthy passengers in the first eight wagons were getting really good food while those in the  
  
servant wagons were getting slightly less decent. The old "rank hath its privileges" routine in  
  
action.  
  
The Caravan began to follow along an aqueduct on the third day, so from then on every  
  
other day they took an extra long time at midday to allow some to bathe in one of the collapsible  
  
wooden baths kept in the baggage wagons, there being five in all. Again, the wealthy passengers,  
  
as well as Iosif and Zacharias, got to use them first, and then the servant passengers after them, at  
  
which point the water, though heated for the wealthy, had been allowed to cool. Ami did her best  
  
to take it in stride, but Hotaru tended to grumble about the "second class" treatment they were  
  
getting, which eventually Damris started to agree with. Hotaru also didn't like the idea of having  
  
mixed baths with any of the men traveling in the caravan, but Ami made her deal with it.   
  
Fortunately, everybody generally kept to themselves in their 'class'.  
  
Contrary wise, the "first class" travelers tended to converse over meals and baths like they  
  
were simply standing in the streets. Iosif personally kept his nose out of the conversations, but  
  
Hrisoula gossiped with the best of them, little Zacharias quietly listening all the time.  
  
Zacharias's health continued to bolster all the time, and soon you couldn't tell he was ever  
  
malnourished. His mental health also increased. Hrisoula had been aware that Damris had been  
  
severely beaten by her previous owner when she'd bought the girl, but Damris had already  
  
recovered some by the time of said purchase, as Biagio was one of the few slave traders around  
  
who actually cared about the condition of his "wares", physical and mental, and had taken  
  
measures to build the girl's health prior to sale, and had in fact been a little reluctant to sell her so  
  
soon, not so much because he thought he could have gotten more for her, but because he thought  
  
he could make her a little more healthy before selling her to someone.  
  
Hrisoula had done all she could to make the girl comfortable, removing her chains and  
  
seeing to the continued improvements to her health on her own, and now she turned those skills  
  
to the shy and bashful Zacharias, and soon he was accepting compliments from some of the other  
  
travelers on how cute he was.  
  
All in all, the trip itself was generally uneventful.  
  
* * *  
  
The caravan pushed on, and eventually a full seven days had passed from the time they left  
  
Tercham. At midday on the twenty-sixth day of Ami and Hotaru's stay in Ancient Rome, the  
  
caravan came to a halt as usual, only this time there was a lot of commotion going around. Ami  
  
looked up from the scroll she was reading with Damris, and noticed some passengers were  
  
collecting their things.  
  
Ami stood and walked to the entrance and glanced out...at one of the biggest cities she'd  
  
ever seen! Spotting certain historical, and one still very present in the twentieth century,  
  
landmarks, she knew exactly what all the commotion was about. They had arrived...in Rome!  
  
"All servants who are accompanying their masters to Rome please disembark from the  
  
wagon!" the tertiary driver called down from the front as the other two began tending to the  
  
horses. Ami zipped over to berth VI and rolled up the scroll, quickly stowing it in her scroll bag.   
  
Then she got Damris's bag from her bunk while Hotaru handed her bag down to Damris and  
  
hopped down from the bunk. Damris handed Hotaru back her bag and then claimed hers from  
  
Ami while Ami got her bags, and the three quickly got out of the wagon and began moving  
  
forward to Passenger Wagon three to meet the others.  
  
As it happened, several of the passengers were disembarking and gathering their luggage,  
  
some of it carry on, some of it larger from the baggage wagons. People were scurrying around all  
  
over. And even worse, it looked like people were all over the place in the city today! It was  
  
bustling! It took several minutes, but the three girls, who quickly formed a human chain to keep  
  
from losing each other, finally made it to Passenger Wagon three.  
  
As they got there, they saw Hrisoula, Iosif, and Zacharias already outside, glancing around  
  
for them. Zacharias was sitting on Hrisoula's shoulders, piggy back style, a smile on his face.   
  
Ami quickly lead Hotaru and Damris through the crowd and up to them.  
  
"Hrisoula, Iosif, here we are!" she called.  
  
"Ah, for a moment I feared you were lost," Iosif said. Hrisoula looked at how they were  
  
holding on to each other, Ami holding Damris's hand and Damris holding Hotaru's.  
  
"What a clever way to stay together," she admired, and grabbed Iosif's hand, which  
  
startled him no end, his face blushing bright red. "Take Ami's hand, Iosif, and we shall head into  
  
the city," she instructed. Iosif did so, still blushing lightly, and Ami felt herself blush a little as  
  
well, and they began working through the crowd toward the city of Rome itself.  
  
Quickly navigating through the city, they wound down streets and passed through a few  
  
large open squares packed with people. Movement seemed to be occurring everywhere, people  
  
walking back and forth, standing near buildings, statues, and even fountains discussing life, the games,  
  
or any of a thousand other subjects, and a few vendors at stands around the place selling food,  
  
snacks, souvenirs, or combinations of the three. Finally, Hotaru called up to Hrisoula.  
  
"Hey, Hrisoula!" she called, "Where are we going?!"  
  
"To Fertitia Street," Hrisoula called back. "To the dwelling of Tatius Rex and his wife  
  
Ariadne. They are old, but last time my husband and I came to Rome on holiday we found decent  
  
lodgings there for a reasonable price. Hopefully they will still be open. Otherwise, we shall  
  
simply have to find a hotel somewhere."  
  
"Oh, okay," Hotaru replied. They continued walking in silence, working their way  
  
through the bustling streets. It seemed like forever, but eventually they made it through the  
  
crowds onto a more empty street. They moved over to a two story building that had been white  
  
washed and was in fairly good condition in comparison to some of the slums they noticed as  
  
they'd worked their way through the city.  
  
Hrisoula came up to the door as they released their hands, and knocked on the door,  
  
having Iosif take Zacharias from her shoulders and lowering him to the ground. A few moments  
  
later the door was answered by a young girl of about seven or so with blond hair and tan-brown  
  
eyes.  
  
"Hello," she said, "Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes," Hrisoula said, "Is this still the residence of Tatius and Ariadne Rex?"  
  
"Yes, they are my masters," the girl said.  
  
"Please fetch one of them, girl," Hrisoula commanded. "Tell them that Lady Hrisoula of  
  
Tercham wishes to rent some of their spare rooms, if any are open."  
  
"Yes, my lady," the girl said, and obediently walked off into the house. The six of them  
  
waited outside patiently, and a few minutes later an elderly woman with silver hair and faded  
  
green eyes came to the door.  
  
"Lady Hrisoula! It's been years! What brings you back to Rome?" she asked.  
  
"I felt like a holiday, and the Caesar Commodus's games seemed like the perfect pretense,  
  
Lady Ariadne," Hrisoula told her.  
  
"You know very well I am not a refined Lady like yourself," Ariadne stated.  
  
"Fine, I shall call you simply Ariadne and you shall call me Hrisoula," Hrisoula said.  
  
"As you wish," Ariadne said, and then opened wide the door. "Please, do all come in."  
  
"Ariadne, I don't wish to impose, but I was hoping to rent your spare rooms, if they are  
  
available," Hrisoula stated as she entered, the others just behind. Ariadne closed the door after all  
  
were within.  
  
"Oh, well my son, Thernacius, and eldest grandson, Georgio, are currently visiting, along  
  
with a young lady friend that Georgio has set his sights upon, but I think we have enough room, if  
  
your slaves share one or two," Ariadne said. They entered the lounge, where the blond girl was  
  
quickly cleaning up. "I believe you already met our new slave, Felicia," Ariadne said, indicating  
  
the girl.  
  
"Yes, but we didn't actually catch her name before," Ami replied, then blushed as she  
  
realized she'd spoken out of turn and without permission.  
  
"It's alright, dear," Hrisoula said. "I believe you know Iosif, but these are more recent  
  
acquisitions," Hrisoula told Ariadne. "This is Ami, Damris, Hotaru, and Zacharias," she indicated  
  
each in turn.  
  
"Where is Eleutherios?" Ariadne asked. Hotaru inwardly cringed.  
  
"Gone," Hrisoula answered, setting down her bag in one corner and indicating for the  
  
others to do the same. "I will explain later. Where is your husband?"  
  
"He, Thernacius, Georgio, and Serena are running a food stand near the Colosseum with  
  
our other new slave, Galea," Ariadne explained. At this, Ami and Hotaru jumped.  
  
"Did you say 'Serena'?" they asked together, grabbing the attention of all in the room.  
  
"Yes," Ariadne said, "She is the young lady friend to whom I referred to earlier, the one  
  
that has caught my grandson's fancy. Personally, I think she's a fine match for him."  
  
"This Serena," Ami said, "Would she happen to have blues eyes, blond hair in two long  
  
pony tails down just past her waist with two buns on either side of her head like a pair of  
  
meatballs, and a gold brooch in the shape of a heart with white wings?"  
  
"Why, yes, that's her exactly!" Ariadne said, her eyes widening at the exactness of the  
  
description. "How did you know?"  
  
"Where is this stand she's working at?" Hotaru asked, her eyes incredibly intense.  
  
"Like I said, it is near the Colosseum, along the west side, twenty horse lengths away from  
  
the main entrance I should think," Ariadne stated. "Now, please, answer my question."  
  
"She's a friend of ours, an important one," Ami said. "Hrisoula, with your permission,  
  
may Hotaru and I go and meet with her?" Hrisoula thought for a moment before speaking.  
  
"Ami, I shall allow you to go if that is what you wish," Hrisoula stated, and Ami beamed.  
  
"But, Hotaru shall remain here. Not that I don't trust you, but I don't want both of you getting  
  
lost out there, especially now."  
  
"Thank you, my lady," Ami said. "I understand. Hotaru, just wait here. I won't be long,  
  
I hope." With that, she grabbed her shawl from her bag, tied it firmly around her head, and turned  
  
toward the door.  
  
"Ami," Hrisoula called. Ami stopped and turned. Hrisoula fetched a paper from her own  
  
bag, and handed it to her. "This states fervently that you are my property, should anyone try to  
  
take you on the street by force," she told her.  
  
"Thank you, Hrisoula," Ami thanked her, and tucked the paper into her pocket, and  
  
walked out into the street. As she started on her way down the street, Ariadne tapped Hotaru on  
  
her shoulder.  
  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you came with Hrisoula from the north, yes?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, that's right," Hotaru said.  
  
"But Serena came with my son and grandson from their home in Tarria, in the south,"  
  
Ariadne said. "If she lived with her family there, how could you be friends?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
* * *  
  
Ami carefully worked her way back through the bustling streets of Rome towards the  
  
awesome behemoth that was the Colosseum. As she drew closer, she felt more and more amazed  
  
at the marvel of engineering that stood near the heart of the city. Sure, she'd always heard of the  
  
Colosseum, and had dreams of one day seeing it in person, as well as the Egyptian Pyramids, the  
  
Eiffel Tower in France, Stonehenge in England, etc., etc.  
  
But to actually be here, and not only here, but at a time when the Roman Empire was at  
  
it's height, well that was something she'd never dreamed would be possible.  
  
*On the other hand, since we know Sailor Pluto, it's really amazing we never thought to  
  
ask her for permission to take educational field trips into history, if she'd let us,* Ami thought as  
  
she continued to move through the streets, drawing ever nearer to her goal.  
  
A few moments later she turned a corner, and found herself looking straight at the curved  
  
wall of the Colosseum. For a moment she compared the structure as it was now to how it looked  
  
by the twentieth century, and was again amazed at how well it had, er, was going to hold up over  
  
the next one and nine tenths millennium.  
  
Cutting her awe short, she started walking around the building, trying to avoid attention,  
  
and find the Rex's food cart. After a few moments, she spotted a pair of large arches at least ten  
  
feet tall over paths leading into the Colosseum.  
  
"Okay, that's probably the main entrance for spectators, so now I just have to find the  
  
stand," Ami said to herself. She began glancing around, seeing if she could spy anything that  
  
looked right. With all the people around, though, it wasn't easy.  
  
"For instance, this young lady seems more than eager for today's games to continue," a  
  
male voice said behind her. She turned to see two men standing nearby, one with dark brown hair  
  
cut close to his head and slightly curled and black-brown eyes richly dressed in one of the fanciest  
  
togas Ami'd seen yet, and one with brown eyes and silver hair in a slightly less fancy toga. The  
  
first one was indicating her. Some soldiers stood a few paces behind them, but Ami just figured  
  
they were there to maintain crowd control.  
  
"So it would seem," the silver haired one said. "But she might also simply be lost."  
  
"You could say that, actually," Ami said, turning to them fully. "I'm looking for a food  
  
cart run by the Rex family, Tatius and his son, Thernacius? Would you gentlemen know where  
  
that is?"  
  
"Could you be more specific?" the brown haired one asked.  
  
"Um, well there should also be a young slave girl there, and a young man in his teens  
  
along with a young teenage woman with blond hair in two buns on her head and two long  
  
ponytails therefrom," Ami rattled off. The two men glanced at each other.  
  
"I think I recall noticing a young woman with such a hairstyle, Senator Gracchus," the  
  
brown haired man said to his companion.  
  
"Yes, I agree," Gracchus said. "I believe the stand she was at was over in that direction,"  
  
he told her, indicating the direction.  
  
"Thank you, Senator Gracchus," Ami stated, then briefly turned to the other man.   
  
"Senator," she said, and quickly went off in the indicated direction.  
  
"Me, a senator?" Commodus chuckled. "What an interesting young lady."  
  
"Every citizen of our empire may know your name, my Caesar," Gracchus said, "But I  
  
doubt every single person knows your appearance."  
  
"Hmm, a good point, Gracchus, very good," Commodus conceded. Then a thought  
  
occurred to him. "Gracchus," he said, "Is it just me, or did that girl's hair, what we could see of  
  
it under the shawl, look blue to you?"  
  
* * *  
  
Ami pushed through the crowd carefully, and came to a small line of stands selling various  
  
items; food, souvenir items such as broken clubs, wheels, weapons and other stuff salvaged from  
  
after the various battles within the giant arena, snacks and sweets, and some even sold make shift  
  
toys of the still surviving gladiators.  
  
She looked further, and noticed a stand with three men selling food at it. One was an  
  
elderly gentleman with greying hair and aged hazel eyes. The second was about mid thirties with  
  
short brown hair and brown eyes. And the last one couldn't have been more than mid-teens, with  
  
short cut raven hair and blue eyes. Looking closer, she spotted what looked to be blond hair  
  
behind the boy.  
  
She moved forward, and stood herself to one side, but before she could get a clear view of  
  
who was behind the men, the boy saw her and turned to her.  
  
"Hello, miss," he said, "Can I help you?"  
  
"Maybe," Ami said. "Is your name Georgio?" The boy blinked in surprise.  
  
"How'd you know my name?" he asked. Ami pulled out her identification papers and held  
  
them out for Georgio to see.  
  
"I am the property of Lady Hrisoula of Tercham, and have come with her to Rome on  
  
holiday," she said. "My mistress is making arrangements with your grandmother, Ariadne, for us  
  
to stay at her and your grandfather's home for the interim." Georgio glanced at the paper, then  
  
turned to the eldest man.  
  
"Uh, grandpa?" he said. "Girl here to see you.."  
  
"Oh?" the man said, and turned to look. He glanced at the paper, then looked up in  
  
surprise. "Lady Hrisoula's returned to Rome? Well, I'll be damned!"  
  
"Yes, sir," Ami said. "You, I presume, are Tatius?"  
  
"Yes, yes I am," Tatius replied. "And this is my son, Thernacius," he indicated the third  
  
man who was selling a couple some fresh cooked steaks. "But why'd you come out to see me?"  
  
he asked.  
  
"I didn't, sir," Ami said. "I wanted to see if a young lady in your keeping was a friend of  
  
mine." The old man's eyes widened, and he turned to the back of the cart.  
  
"Galea, come here," he said. As he turned back, a young girl the same age as Felicia, but  
  
with long dark, raven hair and bright blue eyes, came to the front of the stand. "You know this  
  
girl?" he asked.  
  
"No, sir." Galea said.  
  
"No, Mr. Tatius," Ami said. "I meant the other..."  
  
"Yo! Order up! Three steaks ready to go!" a very familiar blond haired girl said as she  
  
popped up between Tatius and Thernacius with a plate full of fresh cooked meat on it, setting it  
  
on the front counter. As she turned, her bright blue eyes locked onto Ami. Her face went slack in  
  
surprise.  
  
"Ami?" she gasped.  
  
"Serena..." Ami said, her eyes brimming with tears.  
  
"Ami!" Serena dove forward, and Ami did, too, the two hugging each other tightly over  
  
the stand's counter.  
  
"Oh, you meant my future granddaughter-in-law," Tatius said. "I'm sorry, my mistake."  
  
Galea quickly turned back to the food still cooking in the back as Ami and Serena released each  
  
other. Thernacius glanced over.  
  
"Friend of yours, Serena?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, one of my best," Serena said, her eyes wet from joy. "How'd you get here,  
  
Ames?"  
  
"More or less the way you did," Ami answered. "I'll tell you later after we get back to..to  
  
Tatius's place."  
  
"Fair enough," Serena said, then noticed the paper in Ami's hand. "What's this?" she  
  
asked as she grabbed it away to look at it.  
  
"Ah! Serena, I..." Ami started, but Serena had already gotten the gist of it.  
  
"Ami... You're a SLAVE?!" she half screeched.  
  
"In name only," Ami said. "I'm more like a live in maid, or unpaid hired employee, really!"  
  
"But this person you're with still has the right to sell you like one of our steaks, right?!"  
  
Serena pushed.  
  
"Well, technically..."  
  
"God, just like Rini..." Serena moaned.  
  
"Now, now," Ami tried to calm her Princess down a bit, then her eyes went wide. "What  
  
do you mean, 'just like Rini'?!" Serena glanced up, her eyes tearing in emotional pain.  
  
"Oh, Ami..."  
  
"Serena," Ami said sternly, "What's happened?! Tell me!" Serena just stared at her sadly  
  
for a moment.  
  
* * *  
  
Hotaru and Damris quietly placed their things, and Ami's, in their new room for the next  
  
couple of weeks, then sat down on the bed. The house had eight rooms on the second floor,  
  
counting the master bedroom used by Tatius and Ariadne. One room was being used by  
  
Thernacius, another by Georgio, and one by Serena. And one was used by both Felicia and Galea  
  
at present. That left three for let.  
  
Hrisoula took one for herself, and arranged for one room to be shared by Iosif and  
  
Zacharias while the girls shared the other. Since each room had only one bed, Iosif had been sent  
  
to collect extra blankets and pillows from the market place, while Felicia was collecting straw  
  
from a nearby barn to make small sleeping mats on the floors of the rooms with.  
  
The room Hotaru and Damris sat in was simple, with a medium sized clothes chest against  
  
one wall, a window in the east wall, and a second, smaller chest in the northwest corner, just shy  
  
of the door.  
  
Hotaru had done some quick thinking in explaining her and Ami's friendship to Serena.   
  
She'd told the others that she and Ami had lived in the same town as Serena at one time, but had  
  
moved far north five years ago, hence their passing through Tercham at the time of their  
  
"purchase" by Hrisoula. Now she just had to talk with Ami and Serena before they were  
  
questioned on the subject so they could keep their stories straight!  
  
"Hotaru," Damris said, "what do you think the games will be like?"  
  
"I dunno," Hotaru replied. "People killing each other for no reason, the crowd roaring  
  
it's twisted approval, stuff like that probably." She had hesitated on adding 'people tossed in  
  
unarmed to be eaten by lions and tigers.'  
  
"Oh," Damris said quietly. She was silent a moment, then stated, "I'm not sure I want  
  
Zacharias to see any of that at all."  
  
"Frankly, I'm not too eager to see any of it, myself," Hotaru agreed. Damris just kept  
  
quiet for awhile.  
  
A moment later, Felicia came in with a heavy bundle of straw, and laid it down on the  
  
floor next to the bed.  
  
"Ariadne says two of you are to use this for bedding while the third takes the bed," she  
  
said.  
  
"Yeah, we heard," Hotaru said. "Thank you."  
  
"Thank you," Damris said as well. Felicia then went back through the door and picked up  
  
another, smaller, bundle of straw, and took it to another room. After she left, the room was again  
  
silent.  
  
They sat that way, just thinking, for several minutes. They could hear Hrisoula and  
  
Ariadne catching up on "old times" downstairs, but that didn't concern them. At least, not right  
  
now. Then Zacharias came in, and walked up to his sister.  
  
"Damris," he said, his eyes wide and innocent, "where's our mommy?"  
  
"I told you before, Zacharias," Damris replied, "Mother and Father were taken away by  
  
Hecate to the Elysion Fields in the domain of Pluto." *Pluto?* Hotaru thought.  
  
"Excuse me," Hotaru piped in, "but do you mean they were taken to a woman with light  
  
brown skin, pink-purple eyes, and long green hair carrying a long key-like staff with a magenta  
  
orb in a heart shaped crest on the top?" The two just stared at her a moment.  
  
"No," Damris finally replied, "I mean Pluto, the god of the Underworld, ruler of the lands  
  
of the....d, e, a, d."  
  
"The what?" Zacharias asked, but Hotaru had understood perfectly. Their parents were  
  
dead. Hotaru quietly wished she'd paid better attention to her ancient mythology studies. She'd  
  
picked up that the names of the planets were Roman, but it had slipped by her that they were the  
  
names of Roman gods! At this point, as if to distract them away from the current conversation,  
  
Felicia returned.  
  
"Ariadne says I can have a little time to myself right now, so I thought I'd come spend time  
  
with you," she said. "It's boring without Galea."  
  
"That's okay," Hotaru said, secretly glad of the reprieve. "Was there anything specific  
  
you wanted to do?"  
  
"Well, I wanted to ask you if you knew Rini," Felicia replied. Hotaru felt herself tense all  
  
over again.  
  
"Rini? Well, she was very small when I saw her last, but, yeah, I know her," Hotaru  
  
answered. "Wait, no one said anything about her earlier. Are you saying she's here, too?"  
  
"Um, well, she's not living here in this house," Felicia said.  
  
"Then where is she?" Hotaru pushed.  
  
"She was stolen from her mother by Barvus Cephiro," Felicia said. "He's the same slaver  
  
who sold me and Galea to Lady Ariadne."  
  
"What?!" Hotaru gasped, trying to keep herself from slamming the girl to the floor.   
  
"Then where is she?!"  
  
"She was sold," Felicia answered, "to some boy named Lucius Verus. Cephiro and his  
  
people seemed really happy about it, but probably cause he paid them three thousand gold for her,  
  
and another three thousand for Salina." For a few long moments, Hotaru was frozen to the spot,  
  
her mind reeling at the revelation.  
  
* * *  
  
That evening was an interesting one. Ami returned with the others, and introductions went  
  
around for those who had not previously met. Before too long, Zacharias decided that he felt  
  
completely safe around Serena, but was a still a little timid around the three males. Galea was the  
  
same as Felicia, Hotaru, and his sister to him, another little girl who'd lost her mommy.  
  
Tatius, Thernacius, and Georgio treated the young girls amiably, and it was obvious to  
  
Ami and Hotaru before too long that he was _totally_ infatuated with Serena. They also tried to  
  
be as nice as possible to Zacharias, having heard from Ami about his shyness, and the cause  
  
thereof. Zacharias still tended to cling either to Damris or Hrisoula, though.  
  
Galea quickly took to making friends with the new girls nearer her own age, and was also  
  
very nice to Zacharias, who was willing to be a little less shy around her like he was with the other  
  
girls. And Iosif treated Serena politely, but she could tell he was more interested in Ami. So all  
  
in all, it looked as though relations would be steady.  
  
Serena offered to let Ami sleep in her room with her for now, and Ami accepted. While  
  
they shifted Ami's things and makeshift bedding and blanket and pillow into Serena's room,  
  
Hotaru asked permission to join them to "catch up on 'old' times," and Hrisoula allowed it,  
  
having no real need of her for now.  
  
Once safely in her room, Serena related her tale to Ami and Hotaru, arriving in Ancient  
  
Rome, meeting Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian Cavinus, losing Rini, meeting the Rex's, traveling  
  
to Rome, retrieving Rini's brooch while on route, learning of Rini's sale, and ending with her  
  
decision to make and sell food stuffs at a stand during the Colosseum games till she had three  
  
thousand gold to buy Rini back with. What had surprised even her was when Georgio had offered  
  
to help her, and then the rest of the Rex men had jumped in. Ariadne had then suggested having  
  
Galea and Felicia help too, since she didn't really need them at home all the time, and they had  
  
taken turns so that one was still around to help the elderly woman around the house.  
  
When Serena had explained who Lucius Verus was, Hotaru felt chilled. *The Prince of  
  
Rome?* she thought, *What's he doing to her, making her do?* Ami had similar thoughts on that  
  
line.  
  
Ami and Hotaru then told Serena their story, though generally uneventful. When they told  
  
her how Eleutherios tried to rape Hotaru, she jumped.  
  
"You're kidding!" she snapped. "And he got away?!"  
  
"Yeah, clean away," Hotaru grumbled. "If only I'd reached my wand, I'd have shown  
  
him who he was really dealing with."  
  
"Probably best you didn't," Serena commented.  
  
"Yes," Ami said. "We've avoided doing so to avoid attracting the attention of the current  
  
day Sailor Scouts."  
  
"The current day Scouts?" Serena blinked. "I...hadn't thought of that..."  
  
"Huh?" Ami stared at her. "Then why haven't you transformed, yourself?"  
  
"Uh, hello!" Serena said. "I go prancing around using my powers and you know what  
  
people are going to say? They're gonna scream 'witch!', that's what they're going to say! And  
  
you know what's gonna happen to me then? They'll burn me at the stake, that's what they'll do!   
  
I don't know about you, but I do _not_ want to end up looking like a well roasted Sailor  
  
MARSHMALLOW!!"  
  
Her two fellow Scouts just stared as they digested her logic. Not only was it impeccable,  
  
but it was an angle that hadn't dawned on them themselves. They probably would get cries of  
  
"WITCH!" if they used their powers in public here, and public burning of believed witches was  
  
common practice in this time.  
  
"Oh," Hotaru finally managed, and Ami continued to just stare into the air, wide eyed.  
  
"I think I fried her brain," Serena said, feeling Ami's forehead. A moment later, the  
  
Senshi of water snapped out of it.  
  
"Sorry, where were we?" she blinked. After that, they finished their tales, and agreed  
  
upon the following story to explain their friendship:  
  
As Hotaru had claimed earlier, they had been friends in the same southerly town until  
  
seven years ago, when Ami and Hotaru's family had moved to the north. Recently, as had been  
  
stated, their "father" had left and died in the war in Germania, while their "mother" died of illness,  
  
so the two had been heading south to see about taking residence with Serena and Darien's family.   
  
But sadly they'd little to nothing after the tax men had gone through their home, and had no  
  
choice but to steal some extra clothes and food, leading to their purchase by Hrisoula. Serena  
  
quickly prompted them that she and Darien were married, and that he was still alive and in the  
  
Roman army somewhere, since that was about the only thing that kept Georgio at bay, lest he try  
  
on her what Eleutherios had attempted on Hotaru.  
  
Their story in mind and ready, they got up to see what was on the menu for dinner. What  
  
they didn't notice was Damris quickly speeding back to her and Hotaru's room, and slipping  
  
inside as they emerged from Serena and Ami's.  
  
*Sailor Scouts? Witchcraft? They have powers of some sort?* her young mind raced.   
  
*They're even lying about how they know each other! But why? What are they hiding? Are they  
  
even who they say they are? And if not, who are they really?!*  
  
* * *  
  
The next day, while Serena, Tatius, Thernacius, Georgio, and Felicia worked the stand,  
  
Hrisoula paid for her and her servants to have third row seats along the right side of the Arena  
  
during the games that day. By majority decision, Zacharias was left at the Rex home with Ariadne  
  
and Galea, none of the girls, even Serena, wanting the small boy exposed to such horrific things  
  
right now. And Hrisoula wholeheartedly agreed.  
  
They took their seats as the crowds rushed inward for the first round of games, many  
  
eagerly awaiting the contest of blood! Ami maintained indifference, Iosif and Hrisoula were  
  
impassive, and Hotaru and Damris felt totally trepidatious. Hotaru felt even more sick when she  
  
saw some parents bring their children in to watch, even instructing them on who to cheer for.   
  
One high booth was separate from the rest, and a small handful of people walked into it, flanked  
  
by guards.  
  
One was a young woman, another a boy of about eight or so, and the other one Ami  
  
recognized as the younger Senator she'd encountered the previous day.  
  
"Wow, they're richly dressed," Hotaru mused. "I wonder who they are?"  
  
"Well, the guy's a Senator," Ami said, pointing to him. "I sort of bumped in to him  
  
yesterday."  
  
"Unlikely, girl," a man said behind her. They turned to the speaker, a man of forty  
  
something in a rich red toga with a bright blue sash over it. "That's the Caesar's box, there!   
  
Only the Caesar Commodus and his family get to sit there! And any personal slaves or servants  
  
they drag along."  
  
"The Caesar?!" Ami screeched. "Oh, god..."  
  
"What's wrong, Ami?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"When I met him yesterday...I called him 'Senator', right to his face!" Ami explained. "I  
  
can't believe he didn't stop me and correct me, or worse, have me killed!"  
  
"Even a Caesar can forgive a simple mistake of identity," Hrisoula said.  
  
"After all," Iosif added. "I didn't know what he looked like, myself, until today." Before  
  
more could be said, a trumpet sounded, and all turned their attention to the main arena.  
  
"Romans! On this wonderful day of the games, we have a special treat!" a portly  
  
announcer in a seat just under the Caesar's personal booth rose his voice to be heard above the  
  
murmuring of the crowd.  
  
"All the way from the southern arenas of Derorium, from the camp of the once proud  
  
gladiator Theophilus, a woman warrior of no simple skill, who today shall battle not one, not two,  
  
but five stout men till only one person is left standing!" the man continued. At this point five  
  
burly male gladiators entered the ring from a lower arch, and began taking positions around the  
  
arena.  
  
Glancing back at the Caesar's personal booth, Hotaru blinked as she saw two more  
  
persons step in, carrying trays with refreshments, then taking a seat next to the small boy sitting  
  
beside the woman. One had red hair, and Hotaru looked past her. The other, however...  
  
"Ami, look!" Hotaru hissed into her friends ear while pulling on Ami's arm, and pointed to  
  
the booth. Ami glanced over, and her eyes widened.  
  
"Oh, my god," she lightly gasped. She recognized the other little girl instantly, despite the  
  
fact that she was wearing her hair down. Because she only knew of one person in this time who  
  
could possibly have hair that vibrant a shade of pink!  
  
Rini was sitting quietly between the boy and the other girl, wearing a white roman dress  
  
with red lining, and it looked like something shiny was on her right wrist, but from where they  
  
were sitting they couldn't rightly tell.  
  
"Well, she looks alright, anyway," Ami mused, then noticed that a small elevator was  
  
raising the sixth gladiator to the arena floor from the storehouses underground. The woman was  
  
kind of young, about mid-teens, with light brown hair tied back in a pony tail, dressed in Roman  
  
armor, and she also wore what looked from where they sat a pair of rose earrings...  
  
"No, it can't be..." Ami felt her heart sink, and Hotaru just froze in her seat.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, young and old," the announcer cried, " I give you the woman  
  
wonder!  
  
"Let's hear it for LITA THE MAGNIFICENT!!!"  
  
* * *  
  
Trista quickly locked the Science Room door from the inside, then used her powers to  
  
return to the Time Gate. Once there, she scanned for the locations of the five absent scouts, but  
  
they were nowhere to be found. So she began to scan for the current location of the other four  
  
scouts, the cats, and Darien.  
  
She found Amara and Michelle first. They were at home together, in...  
  
*Well, they can just find time for their "happy hour" later,* Trista thought. She then  
  
scanned for the others, and found all three cats in Rini's attic bedroom at the Tsukino household.   
  
Luna and Artemis were giving Diana a special tutoring lesson on how to be a proper guardian to  
  
Rini.  
  
*Well, they can just put that on hold, too, for now,* Trista thought. Next she found Rei,  
  
meditating at Hikawa. Nothing to interrupt there, so she quickly found Mina, who was laying on  
  
her bed at home, listening to a CD, and flipping through a magazine full of pictures of "cute,  
  
dreamy guys!" Thinking about it for only a moment, she left the gates and entered Mina's room  
  
first.  
  
"Ooh, you are a delicious looking stud, aren't you Charles?" she purred at a picture in her  
  
magazine.  
  
"Ahem," Trista cleared her throat, "Excuse me, Mina, but we have a situation." Mina  
  
jumped a mile into the air, then shoved the magazine under her pillow before turning around, her  
  
face bright pink in embarrassment.  
  
"Trista!" she said, "What brings you here?"  
  
"As I said," Trista replied, "we have a situation. Grab your wand and I'll take you there.   
  
I'll explain once we're all together." Nodding, Mina jumped from the bed and pulled her  
  
transformation wand from her desk, and stood next to Trista, who waved the Garnet Rod and  
  
transported them first to the Time Gate, and then to the Science Room.  
  
"Hey," Mina blinked, "Isn't this Crossroads Junior High?"  
  
"Yes," Trista answered. "Please wait here." And with that she returned to the Time  
  
Gate, then transported to Rei. Rei looked up as she appeared.  
  
"Something's happened to Serena, hasn't it?" Rei asked.  
  
"Yes," Trista said. "Rini, Ami, Lita, and Hotaru as well. Get your wand and I will take  
  
you to the place." Rei quickly stood and took her wand from her robes, and Trista transported her  
  
the same as Mina. Upon arrival, they found Mina glancing at the mysterious machine that was the  
  
culprit of the current situation.  
  
"Keep Mina and yourself away from that while I get the others," Trista instructed, and  
  
transported herself again, this time going to Amara and Michelle. She watched them for a  
  
moment as they "enjoyed" each other's company. Then she tapped the floor with the foot of her  
  
staff.  
  
"Huh?" Amara said, looking up from the covers, Michelle just behind. "What's up,  
  
Trist?"  
  
"How long have you two been in there?" she asked.  
  
"Umm..." Amara scratched the back of her head.  
  
"An hour or so," Michelle blushed.  
  
"And you never sensed it?" Trista asked.  
  
"Sensed?" Michelle blinked, then focused her mind. A moment later her eyes snapped  
  
open. "Dear god, the ocean has gone mad!"  
  
"Yes, something has gone greatly wrong," Trista confirmed. "Now get your clothes on  
  
and grab your wands, and I'll take you the place of the disturbance's origin." Trista then did  
  
something a little uncharacteristic. "Unless you want to traipse around the site naked?" she  
  
grinned.  
  
"Har, har," Amara said sarcastically, and jumped out of bed and tossed on some clothes  
  
before getting her wand from the vanity. Michelle did likewise, and once they were ready, they  
  
moved over to Trista, and were taken to the Science Room.  
  
"I'll be back soon, and then I'll explain," she told them, and transported herself to the  
  
cats, who were still in the midst of their lecture.  
  
"And then," Luna said in a "teacher" voice.  
  
"Excuse me, Luna, but you'll have to cut this short," she said. The three cats looked up,  
  
surprised.  
  
"Pluto!" Diana said, smiling.  
  
"Hello, Sailor Pluto," Luna greeted her. "Is something the matter?"  
  
"Sailor Pluto...I mean, Trista," Artemis said. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Serena, Rini, Ami, Lita, and Hotaru have vanished," Trista stated, and the cats' eyes  
  
went wide. "Come with me and I shall explain everything." Without a word, the three moon cats  
  
stepped up to Trista, and she transported them quickly to the Science Room. Once deposited,  
  
they quickly took an interest in the machine.  
  
"Please, do not touch that," Trista told them. "I will return in a moment. I just need to  
  
retrieve Darien." With that, she returned to the Time Gate once more.  
  
She quickly scanned for her future King, and found him stepping into his apartment,  
  
flinching from the sudden feeling that something was wrong with Serena. She quickly transported  
  
in, and braced herself for a throttling.  
  
"Hello, my Prince," she greeted him.  
  
"Okay, what happened!" he said, straight to the point. "And don't give me any attitude,  
  
cause I _know_ something has!"  
  
"I'm afraid there's been...an accident," she replied,  
  
"What kind of 'accident'?" he asked.  
  
"Serena and some of the others have...disappeared..." she told him. Suddenly two hands  
  
were grabbing her by the collar.  
  
"SERENA'S WHAT?!!!!" Darien bellowed.  
  
"Please close your door," Trista asked. Forcing as much control into himself as he could,  
  
Darien did so, then returned to Trista, who transported them both to Crossroads. Once there, she  
  
took a deep breath.  
  
"Alright, everyone," she said aloud, gaining all their attentions, then indicated the  
  
machine. "I'm not sure how, but somehow that machine there has caused Serena, Rini, Ami,  
  
Hotaru, and Lita to vanish from the face of the Earth..."  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Well, that's the Ami and Hotaru section. Now on to the Lita section! Don't worry, I  
  
won't forget about the Colosseum fight! (I'm not that evil.. No, wait, yes I am!) So be  
  
here next time for Chapter 7: Gladiator.  
  
Wish to converse? To send me a bomb-o-gram? E-mail me at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	7. Chapter 7: Gladiator

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And Lita has become a gladiator!  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this. And yes, I borrowed a few lines...verbatim...  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 7: Gladiator  
  
"Let's hear it for LITA THE MAGNIFICENT!!!" the announcer shouted out to the  
  
crowd, and Rini felt her blood run cold as she recognized the young girl near the center of the  
  
arena wearing a red leather, Roman armor dress, with a prominent bronze stag embroidered upon  
  
it and a pair of sandals, with a light, medium sized shield on her left arm, and a broadsword in her  
  
right hand. The crowd started to cheer enthusiastically.  
  
*Lita?! A gladiator?! Oh, no!!* she thought. Lita quietly bowed to the crowd to the  
  
south, then the west, then the east, then she turned to bow to the north...and the Caesar's booth!   
  
Thinking quickly, Rini carefully slid a hand towards the drinks, and discretely knocked one to the  
  
floor, spilling the contents.  
  
"Oops," she said, "I got it!" She quickly grabbed a small towel and dived down on all  
  
fours to mop it up. The others glanced at her for a moment, then turned back to the main floor,  
  
where Lita was taking her final bow to the Caesar and his family.  
  
"My Caesar, this battle is in your honor," she said formally, then stood up straight. The  
  
other five gladiators briefly turned and bowed to the Caesar.  
  
"We who are about to die salute you!" they chimed, then turned back to face Lita.   
  
Commodus rose as Rini continued cleaning the mess, returning the empty glass to the tray. He  
  
rose one hand, and the crowd quieted for a moment.  
  
"BEGIN!" Commodus commanded, and Lita immediately went into a defensive posture  
  
while the five large brutes drew their swords or axes and brought up their shields. As Lita's  
  
opponents began to move around her, Rini finished cleaning up and sat back in her seat as  
  
Commodus took his own. Rini felt butterflies fill her stomach as Lita got ready to fight for her  
  
life. Salina leaned in to her.  
  
"Hey, Rini," she whispered, "why'd you do that?"  
  
"I know her," Rini whispered back. "I didn't want her to see me up here yet, it'd distract  
  
her. And right now is _not_ a good time for her to be distracted!"  
  
"You know her?" Lucius asked. "From where?"  
  
"Family friend," Rini answered quickly. "My mom and her are very close, kinda like  
  
sisters."  
  
"Really?" Lucilla blinked.  
  
In the arena, the first brute lunged forward, swinging his long sword in a wide arc toward  
  
Lita's head, clearly intending to end the encounter quickly with a beheading. Lita quickly blocked  
  
with her sword, and swung a fast upward kick to his own temple. He brought his shield up to  
  
block, and Lita jumped up and did a fast spin kick, landing her foot squarely against the side of his  
  
head. The helmet bent inward slightly, the metal resonating the force of the impact two-fold. Lita  
  
landed gracefully back on the ground, and the first brute fell sharply, unconscious.  
  
At this, two more came in at her, one on either side. One came forward, brandishing his  
  
short sword like a spear, intending to thrust it into Lita's stomach and gut her. The other came  
  
from behind, brandishing his recently polished double-sided battleaxe in a downward swing meant  
  
to cleave Lita right down the middle! Lita did the only thing she could think of.  
  
She ducked.  
  
The sword missed by only a few inches, and the battle axe went straight down into the  
  
sword wielder's head, splitting it like a melon! The crowd roared in delight, and in the Caesar's  
  
booth, Rini felt sick. Where they sat in the stands, Ami and Hotaru also felt a small wave of  
  
nausea pass through them, but at the same time they felt relief that Lita had survived the double  
  
onslaught.  
  
The axe wielder pulled his weapon from the dead gladiator and turned to Lita, who  
  
unceremoniously rammed him right in the face with her shield! He stuttered back, dropping his  
  
own shield, and Lita moved in to knock him out. Just then the other axe wielder took a swing at  
  
her with his single-sided axe, which she managed to just barely dodge. The first axe wielder  
  
began to swing his battleaxe two-handed, anger clearly filling his mind. As if to make matters  
  
worse, the third sword wielder came in, brandishing his wavy Vorpal blade with intent to skewer  
  
the girl before him.  
  
"Think you're hot stuff, don't you, girl?" the battleaxe wielder sneered.  
  
"You think I want to do this?" Lita snapped back as she used her sword to block his axe,  
  
and her shield to block the other axe while dodging the Vorpal blade. She swerved and blocked  
  
for several minutes, the men's weapons sometimes dinging against her armor, but none as yet  
  
passing through to her skin.  
  
The single-axe then swung at her again, and Lita dodged, watching as the axe embedded  
  
itself into the man holding the Vorpal blade. At the same time the Vorpal blade made another  
  
swing inward at her, and wound up sinking straight into the axe wielder's abdomen. Both fell  
  
silently, leaving Lita only the problem of subduing the battleaxe holder.  
  
They faced each other, sternly watching the other's movements for any sign of an opening.   
  
Deciding to be fair, Lita tossed her shield aside and held her broadsword with both hands. The  
  
axe wielder swung his axe, and Lita blocked with her sword. Swing, block, swing, block, they  
  
traded blows and counter blows, each occasionally making brief and limited contact with the  
  
other's armor, for several tense moments as the crowd cheered on either him or her to achieve the  
  
battle's final victory! Then Lita thought she heard a more plaintive cry, directed specifically right  
  
at her...  
  
"LITA, BEHIND YOU!!!" Lita twinged a little at the cry, unsure who screamed it. For a  
  
moment she thought it came from both the side and ahead, from the Caesar's box. She then  
  
dismissed the thought entirely as she swerved to the side...a split second from being sliced in half  
  
through the middle by the first brute's long sword. Apparently he had awakened from her foot  
  
induced nap!  
  
And his dark grey eyes spoke his rage.  
  
*Shouldn't have dumped the shield,* Lita quietly regretted, and blocked the long sword as  
  
well as she could, given she also had to block a battleaxe. She found herself doing nothing but  
  
blocking for several more minutes. Then the long sword swished at her in a horizontal arc. At  
  
the same moment, the battleaxe swung around for a downward plunge. Lita dodged the sword,  
  
and then the battleaxe finished coming down...  
  
Right through the sword wielder's arm.  
  
He flopped to the side, squeezing at his new stump in agony, and the crowd simply  
  
cheered. Where they sat, Ami turned away, and Hotaru felt herself transfixed, unbelieving at the  
  
crowd's uncaring attitude at what was happening below.  
  
In the Caesar's booth, Rini also found herself frozen. She'd now watched three grown  
  
men die horribly, and in moments a fourth would soon follow. She could no longer decide if she  
  
was relived that Lita was still alive, or sickened at the sight of the dead and dying.  
  
Lita was now truly down to just one opponent, and they again circled each other, trading  
  
blows. Finally, Lita dropped, and swung her feet out in a sweep kick, knocking the man's feet  
  
out from under him. He fell sprawling to the ground, flat on his back, his battle axe flying from  
  
his hand to the ground about three feet away.  
  
Lita sprang to her feet, and slammed one foot upon the man's chest, pointing her sword at  
  
his throat.  
  
"Say Uncle!" she demanded. He blinked.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"You heard!" Lita replied. The crowd began roaring loudly, crying for her to finish him  
  
off, but she sternly ignored their bloodlust-crazed screams. She stared only at the man before her,  
  
right into his deep brown eyes. And he stared back into her own emerald orbs, understanding  
  
slowly dawning on him...in more ways than one.  
  
Finally he sighed.  
  
"I yield!" he said, as loudly as he could. For a moment the crowd continued to demand  
  
blood, but then he yelled it again, and they began to get quiet; then someone called out:  
  
"LITA THE MERCIFUL!" This was followed by more cries of the same, and a rousing  
  
applause. In her seat, Hotaru quietly breathed a sigh of relief that it was over, and Ami finally  
  
allowed herself to turn back to the arena itself.  
  
In the Caesar's box, Rini also sighed in relief, and next to her Salina cheered Lita's  
  
victory, Commodus and Lucilla simply staring in amazed wonder.  
  
"She is a wonder," Lucius said. Lita quietly removed her foot and offered the man a hand  
  
up, which he accepted. She then grabbed his battleaxe and returned it to him. He bowed quietly  
  
to the crowd, and stepped back. After regaining her breath, Lita then bowed to the crowd as  
  
well, again ending with a bow toward the Caesar's box.  
  
"My Caesar," she said as she bowed, then froze, her head snapping back up, her eyes  
  
bulging as she recognized the little girl sitting next to the young boy in the Caesar's box all too  
  
well.  
  
*Rini?!! What's she doing up there?!* her mind raced. Rini stared back, and quietly  
  
waved, giggling nervously. Before anything else could happen though, several men came in and  
  
removed the three dead bodies, and shuffling her and the one survivor off to the cells. As for the  
  
one who'd lost his arm, some men went to check on him, and she couldn't tell if he'd died yet or  
  
not.  
  
Inside the confines of the lower areas of the Colosseum, Lita's sword and the man's  
  
battleaxe were taken from them, and they were lead back to the cells of their "camps" - the other  
  
gladiators owned by the one who currently owned them. As they parted, Lita wiped her brow  
  
with her arm, and the man pulled off his helmet, revealing a short, ruffled light brown hair. He  
  
turned briefly to look at her.  
  
"I underestimated you, in many ways," he admitted. "I am Renatus."  
  
"Lita, but you already knew that, didn't you?" Lita replied. "See you around." And with  
  
that, they were taken away from each other. Lita was lead to a group of cells holding several  
  
tough men she had come to think of as brothers-in-arms after a fashion and sent inside. One tall  
  
man with unruly black hair, blue eyes, and a small mustache greeted her upon her arrival.  
  
"Great fight, Lita! We didn't think you were coming back," he said.  
  
"Thanks, Urian. I thought I was dead meat, too," she replied as she sat down.  
  
"I never doubted for a moment," another guy said, this one with scraggly blond hair, grey  
  
eyes, and light strawberry fuzz on his lip and chin.  
  
"Yeah, right, Vassos, you were shitting a brick when that last one came charging up  
  
behind her!" one of the others mocked him.  
  
"Like you weren't?!" Vassos accused. "She has the luck of the gods, this one! That's  
  
how she knew to move when she did."  
  
"That," Lita said, "and I think I heard someone scream a warning to me." She then  
  
winced, and clutched her side, where she felt an odd wetness. Glancing down, she saw one strike  
  
had managed to nudge through her armor. She quickly unhitched it, and pulled the armor dress  
  
off, finding the wound to be a gash across her side. Fortunately, it wasn't too deep. Under the  
  
armor she wore a light short-sleeved shirt and shorts, as did all her cell mates. Urian saw her  
  
wound, and took the armor from her while Vassos banged on the cell bars for immediate  
  
attention.  
  
"Hey, guards! We need some bandages in here! She's wounded!" he called. A guard  
  
came up and glanced in, and Vassos pointed to Lita's injury as he repeated his request. The guard  
  
walked off, and came back a moment later, tossed Vassos some bandages, and strolled off.   
  
Vassos walked over to Lita, who had pulled up her shirt to give a clear view of the wound for  
  
Urian to clean off for a clear look.  
  
Vassos then began wrapping the bandages around Lita's body to cover the wound, and  
  
tied them tight enough to close the wound without squishing Lita's chest into her heart. Lita  
  
breathed carefully, relaxing her muscles as best she could.  
  
"You okay?" Urian asked.  
  
"I will be," Lita grunted. Roaring emanated from outside, and another gladiator glanced  
  
through one of their only three windows into the main arena.  
  
"Their Fall of Carthage re-enactment just finished," he reported. "Carthage won."  
  
"I thought Carthage got flattened into the dust," Lita blinked.  
  
"They have some General out there leading the gladiators, a good one by the looks of..."  
  
the other gladiator commented, then halted. "Commodus is walking into the arena..." The room  
  
moved forward, Urian and Vassos making room for Lita to get a good view. As she stared  
  
through the window she saw a group of Centurion guards standing around as Commodus spoke  
  
heatedly with the gladiator known only as "the Spaniard", a boy standing just to his side...and Rini  
  
suddenly screeching to a halt to the boy's right!  
  
"Oh, man, what's she doing in there?!" Lita asked.  
  
"Who?" Vassos asked.  
  
"The girl with the pink hair. I know her, she's the daughter of a good friend of mine,"  
  
Lita explained. "Her name's Rini."  
  
"See the gold bracelet on the girl's wrist?" an older gladiator, about forty, said. "It has  
  
royal markings on it, and the symbol of Lucius Verus specifically. I've seen that set up before,  
  
it's a slave's identification bracelet. She's a slave belonging to Lucius Verus, the Prince of  
  
Rome."  
  
"Who?" Lita blinked, trying to keep herself calm at this input.  
  
"The boy," the gladiator told her. "If he lives long enough, and Commodus doesn't have  
  
any direct heirs in the meantime, he'll be the next Caesar."  
  
"Why do you suppose he painted her hair that color?" Urian asked.  
  
"He didn't," Lita said. "Her hair's always been that color."  
  
"Seriously?!" all the gladiators around her asked, staring at her incrediously. Just then the  
  
Spaniard broke their conversation, turning their attention back to the ring, as he spoke aloud for  
  
everyone to hear:  
  
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, General  
  
of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered  
  
son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance...in this life or the next."  
  
"Sounds like someone's pissed..." Lita whispered as the Centurions rose arms, and the  
  
crowd started cheering, "LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! LIVE!" It was a tense few moments, during  
  
which Lita noticed Rini scooted a little closer to Lucius, as though expecting her owner to protect  
  
her if things turned _truly_ ugly! But Commodus rose his thumb, signaling that the gladiators  
  
were to live...for now, and left the arena in a huff, Lucius and Rini close behind him, the  
  
Centurions resting arms and following after all three.  
  
"At least she got back out okay," Lita sighed, and turned and found a place to sit down.   
  
The rest began to disperse as well.  
  
* * *  
  
In the Colosseum's main halls, Lucilla and Salina met up with Commodus, Lucius, and  
  
Rini. Commodus just stormed past, half the Centurions following, but Lucilla halted Lucius,  
  
checking him in a mothering way. Salina turned to Rini. The rest of the Centurions halted and  
  
waited quietly.  
  
"What were you thinking?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, I don't know," Rini admitted. "I just followed him in..."  
  
"That Maximus guy looked serious," Salina mused.  
  
"Yeah, he never blinked at all, and his eyes didn't leave the Caesar's for a second!" Rini  
  
stated.  
  
"Come, we're going," Lucilla commanded, and the four of them, flanked by the  
  
Centurions, headed toward the exit. What they didn't see was Pherinias, watching them from  
  
down the corridor, hate deep in his eyes for the two who had humiliated him.  
  
* * *  
  
Lita wasn't sure how long she'd been napping, but she was lightly shaken awake by Urian,  
  
who indicated a guard waiting at the cell door, apparently for her.  
  
"What is it, Urian?" she asked.  
  
"Someone wishes to see you, privately," Urian told her. "Try to remember, in your  
  
current condition you shouldn't struggle too much. You could worsen you wounds. Just give  
  
your gentleman caller his sex and be done with it."  
  
"It's not a man, it's three women," the guard stated, a slight hint of desire in his tone.   
  
"Young women."  
  
"Either way, I'm not a pleasure girl," Lita said lowly, but got up and went to follow the  
  
guard anyway. She was lead to a private cell, and her hands shackled in cuffs attached to short  
  
chains that were connected right to the wall. As soon as she was secure, the guard turned to the  
  
three cloaked figures waiting in a darkened corner.  
  
"You can leave us," one of them said in a _very_ familiar voice. "We know her, she will  
  
not harm us."  
  
"Your pyre," the guard shrugged, and stepped outside, closing the barred door. Lita  
  
stared as the three pulled their cloaks away to reveal the last three people she'd ever thought  
  
she'd find in this hell-hole:  
  
Serena, Ami, and Hotaru!  
  
"It cost us almost seven hundred gold coins total to get in here," Ami said, "But Hrisoula  
  
was kind enough to loan us my and Hotaru's share."  
  
"It's a dent," Serena said, "But I'll live. Still plenty of time, unless Trista decides to get  
  
her rear in gear!"  
  
"Serena! Ami! Hotaru!" Lita said in delight and joy as she quickly hugged her friends.   
  
"What are you doing here?!"  
  
"We came to see you," Hotaru answered. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Well, I got a little love nick in that last bout, but I'm holding up," Lita said. "How are  
  
you guys?!"  
  
"Well, life's been better, but otherwise we're all fine," Serena said, smiling. But there was  
  
a clear sadness in her eyes.  
  
"Uh, Serena, you don't have to pretend everything's hunky dory. I saw Rini, I know  
  
she's a slave," Lita said calmly. Serena's smile waned, but didn't disappear.  
  
"Yeah, Ami mentioned she saw your fight," Serena said. "You mind telling us how you  
  
wound up as a gladiator?" Lita smiled lightly, carefully sitting down on the ground.  
  
"Yeah, I sorta figured you were gonna ask that..." she said.  
  
* * *  
  
The man seemed startled, and when the screwdriver in his hand flipped the switch on the  
  
device thing, there was a flash, and the next thing Lita could sense was heat, a lot of it! When her  
  
eyes readjusted, she saw it was suddenly daytime...and that she was standing in what looked to be  
  
a desert!  
  
Fortunately, she could see what looked like camels not too far away, and made for them.   
  
After three minutes she began to worry it was only a mirage, but then they started to pull closer to  
  
her. When she got in range, she gasped.  
  
It was a caravan, with camels, horses, and people in cages and chains! For a moment she  
  
couldn't make heads nor tails of it. Then one of the men on the horses turned and saw her, and  
  
stared. As she contemplated what to do, one of the people in chains suddenly plowed their  
  
weight into another armed man, and dashed away from the caravan, right in her direction. The  
  
one who saw her earlier and two others dove after the escapee, charging their horses.  
  
For a moment, Lita just stood there, frozen to the spot, then the escapee, a girl of maybe  
  
her own age or so, spotted her right in her path about three feet from colliding with her. The girl,  
  
who had short black hair and panic filled green eyes, stared at Lita for a moment, then turned and  
  
darted in another direction, but the pause was too much, too soon, and the three riders brought  
  
her down to the ground a second later, and the three hopped off and began to pummel her!  
  
"Hey! Stop that!" Lita snapped, and charged right in. The three horsemen turned to see  
  
her coming, and one drew a sword. Lita ducked under his swing and came up with an uppercut  
  
to his jaw, knocking him out cold. The other two turned and took a swing, but Lita dodged, and  
  
swung a side kick into one man's chest, her other foot sinking slightly into the sand as she did so,  
  
sending him down, then turned her attention to the last man.  
  
He stared at her through the shawl around his face and head, clearly measuring up his  
  
opponent, then lunged. Lita moved aside, pulling her foot free, and the man swung toward her.   
  
Lita barely ducked, her feet threatening to slide out from under her due to the sand, and the man  
  
threw a kick toward her face. She caught his foot, twisted, and brought him down. Before he  
  
could recuperate, she jumped up, then dove down with her elbow pointed outward, burying it in  
  
the man's sternum and shoving him into the sand. He went limp, and Lita rose and went over to  
  
help up the girl who was trying to get up despite her beating.  
  
When Lita's hand took hers, the girl blinked, stared at the three downed men, then looked  
  
back to Lita.  
  
"Are you a god?" she asked. Lita blinked, then for the first time noted what the girl was  
  
wearing - a grey slip, known as a chiton, with the barest of sandals and a pair of small ring  
  
earrings made of steel. Her hands were chained together by a pair of black shackles which looked  
  
as though they were just a little too tight.  
  
"A god?" Lita blinked. "Not last time I checked. Where am I?"  
  
"Where...?" the girl blinked as Lita let her lean on her. "This is the northern Sahara, in the  
  
Gerchium Province. Now we must fly!"  
  
"Yeah, that was my next question," Lita said, "What are you running from? Who are  
  
those peop...Gerchium Province? In the Sahara? But the Sahara's in Africa! It doesn't have any  
  
provinces!" At this point the two were starting to move away from the three men Lita had  
  
knocked out, though Lita couldn't help but wonder where they would go, the Sahara was one of  
  
the biggest deserts in the world!  
  
"Of course it has Provinces, it was divided by the Emperor Caesars when the Romans  
  
conquered the area," the girl said. "And as to your questions, those monsters are slavers, taking  
  
me to sell as a...a...a PLEASURE GIRL! I will not do it! You understand?! I will not!"  
  
"Slavers? Romans? Caesars?" Lita felt her head spinning. "There haven't been any  
  
Caesars since...almost two thousand years ago!"  
  
"What are you, mad?!" the girl looked at her as though she was insane. "The Caesar  
  
Marcus Aurelius battles even now to subjugate the barbarians of Germania! Oh, if only he would  
  
destroy the barbarians who deal in the trade behind us!" Lita let this sink in a moment.  
  
"Oh my god," she breathed. "I'm in Ancient Rome!"  
  
"Ancient?" the girl stared at her still. Before either could say anything more, a net was  
  
thrown over them, and they felt their feet get pulled out from under them, and then they were  
  
drug back across the sand to the slave caravan by two still very conscious camel riders. When  
  
they stopped moving, Lita noticed that the three men she'd fought were being treated for the  
  
wounds as though they were life threatening, even though she'd really gone pretty easy on them.   
  
Another man with nasty black eyes stared down on her and her fellow captive. He wore the same  
  
dark shawls as the other three, and the same deep brown pants and overcoat, a simple sword  
  
sheathed at his waist.  
  
"Should have run faster, girls," he sneered. "And who are you? I don't remember this  
  
one!"  
  
"She came out of the desert, Petros," one of the three Lita'd fought earlier said. "A wild  
  
woman! From the sands!"  
  
"A wild woman, eh?" Petros pulled his shawl down to show his grin. "She'll bring us  
  
much from those who'll pay for the privilege to break her. Chain her up, and put the both of them  
  
in a cage, even if you have to squeeze them in!" By this point Lita had reached her wand and was  
  
poking the top of it through the net.  
  
"All right, time for the heavy artillery!" she decided. "JUPITER...CRYSTAL..." She  
  
never got to finish as Petros grabbed the wand away and stared at it.  
  
"Hmm," he hummed as he examined the pink handled object with white wings around a  
  
pair of gold rings just under the emerald green orb with the golden symbol of Jupiter and gold  
  
wings and star atop it and a small gold plate at the very bottom of the whole thing.  
  
"Ahh! Oh, no!" Lita shrieked. Her last, best chance for freaking these guys out and  
  
escaping alive had just gone out the window!  
  
"What is it?" one of the other slavers asked.  
  
"Some kind of ceramic, with ivory and gold worked in, and one of the biggest damn  
  
emeralds I've ever seen! It must be worth a fortune!" Petros said. "A rich wild woman. Got  
  
anything else, darling?"  
  
"Uh...do you guys take yen?" she asked nervously. Petros stared at her for a moment,  
  
then snapped his fingers, and Lita and the girl were lifted bodily over to a cage, and the girl was  
  
pulled from the net and tossed in. Lita was pulled out next, a pair of shackles slapped on her  
  
wrists and locked, then tossed in as well. The cage was closed and locked behind them.  
  
Lita pulled herself up and looked at who else was in the cage. Aside of the girl there was  
  
a guy of about twenty with scraggly blond hair, grey eyes, and light strawberry fuzz on his lip and  
  
chin, and another man lying face down on the floor. The second guy didn't look so good.  
  
"Who might you be?" the first guy asked.  
  
"My name is Lita, and yours?" Lita replied.  
  
"I am Vassos," he told her. "Formerly of Wistium, a farmer."  
  
"And your friend?" Lita asked, indicating the other guy.  
  
"Dead since yesterday," Vasso said. "They either haven't noticed, or don't care." Lita  
  
inwardly cringed at the thought of traveling with a corpse. Then she remembered the girl with  
  
her.  
  
"Oh, what's your name?" she asked her.  
  
"Me?" she blinked. "I am Adara. And now, I am doomed."  
  
"Not yet, we aren't," Lita said, forcing confidence into her voice. "We could escape yet!   
  
If we find the right opportunity." Just then, the caravan started moving again, and Lita flopped  
  
back against the bars due to the sudden momentum. "And this isn't it." Lita added as she lied  
  
gracelessly against the bars.  
  
* * *  
  
"So where's your wand?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"That bastard doesn't still have it, does he?" Serena asked right after.  
  
"You want to give me a minute to finish my story?" Lita replied. "I'll get to what  
  
happened to it in just a minute, okay?"  
  
"Sorry, sorry," Serena and Hotaru apologized. "It's just so sucky!"  
  
"Frankly," Ami said, "It's probably just as well you didn't transform."  
  
"What?" Lita blinked. Ami quickly outlined her and Hotaru's original reasons for not  
  
transforming, and Serena's even more intelligent reason for not doing so. "The present day  
  
Scouts?" Lita stared a little. "Hadn't thought of them. And getting called a witch...to think that  
  
Serena thought of that all on her own..."  
  
"Hey, I _have_ read about the Salem Witch Trials, you know," Serena said with a touch  
  
of indignation.  
  
"Sorry," Lita snapped out of it. "Actually, I did think of the witch thing, belatedly. Now  
  
where was I? Oh, yes, Petros had just taken me prisoner..."  
  
* * *  
  
Lita wasn't sure how long they transported her. They occasionally stopped to eat, and she  
  
and Adara and the others were carefully watched. About four or five days later, she couldn't be  
  
positive, but she was pretty sure that was how many sunsets she'd watched since she'd first  
  
arrived, the caravan pulled into a bustling town surrounding a large oasis. She heard someone say  
  
they were now in Derorium, but paid it little mind.  
  
They came to a marketing place, and she and the others were pulled out and taken to a  
  
series of posts to which they were chained. She and Adara shared a post, and Adara hid her face,  
  
sobbing at her impending fate. Lita remained confident that a way out could be found. As she  
  
watched, Petros's men placed some of the valuables they'd acquired while on the 'road',  
  
including her transformation wand, on a medium sized table to one side.  
  
Actually, she was all too glad to be out of the cage. Her clothes had gotten filthy, and the  
  
dead guy was really starting to reek! It was only when they had unloaded them that they had  
  
finally gotten rid of the carcass. She was also sunburned, and too much movement hurt.  
  
After a while, other people began wandering through them, examining them, and some of  
  
the prisoners were bought by this person or that person. Then she saw a man with yellow eyes  
  
and brunette hair with streaks of grey and silver going through it sitting in a chair carried in by  
  
two men. His face was lined with age, his expression passive. He wore a simple yellow toga with  
  
a red sash, and sandals, as well as three rings on one hand. He snapped his fingers and was  
  
lowered down near the table, where he glanced around the items after signaling Petros to come  
  
forward.  
  
"Ah, Marcellus Theophilus! How may I aid you this fine day?" Petros, who had removed  
  
his head gear entirely to reveal thinning red hair crowning a thinning face, asked.  
  
"The goats you sold me are both female, Petros," Theophilus said. "I don't like cheats."   
  
He glanced at the human wares. "What do you have in stock?"  
  
"Some that are good for fighting, some that are good for dying," Petros replied. "And  
  
I'm betting you could use a little of both, no?" Theophilus snapped his fingers again, and a strong  
  
looking man with rich black hair and brown eyes wearing a white toga and sandals moved forward  
  
and began to look over the would be slaves carefully. Finally, he reached Vassos, who was sitting  
  
down, waiting.  
  
"Stand," he said. Vassos complied, and the man looked him over. "What were you?"  
  
"A farmer," Vassos replied. "I tilled the land from dawn till dusk." The man continued to  
  
look him over, then nodded and checked a few more before looking toward Theophilus.  
  
"These five," he called, indicating the ones he thought was best suited for their needs,  
  
including Vassos. "They're the best of the lot, unfortunately."  
  
"Six hundred, and not a coin more," Theophilus said to Petros.  
  
"You are robbing me," Petros grinned. Theophilus scowled at him, and Petros demurred.   
  
"But for you, sure." Theophilus then reached out and picked up Lita's wand from the table.  
  
"And I'll give you an additional fifty for this," he said, and Lita gasped in horror. Petros  
  
grinned and indicated the white wings.  
  
"These are Ivory, I had them checked," he said, then indicated the gold parts. "And these  
  
are solid gold, twenty karats at least! And this," he now indicated the green sphere that was its  
  
most dominant feature, "is the largest pure Emerald this side of Rome's treasury! It is worth far  
  
more than a mere fifty gold."  
  
"A hundred fifty, no more," Theophilus said, holding up a bag of money. Petros nodded,  
  
and Theophilus paid him the promised amount of seven hundred and fifty for wand and slaves.   
  
Lita snapped.  
  
"No! That's mine, you thieves!" she cried, and they all turned to her.  
  
"The woman is a wild desert blossom we found," Petros said. "Took down three of my  
  
best men before she was subdued."  
  
"Semon!" Theophilus said, and the man who'd been checking out slaves before came and  
  
stood over her and Adara, who had also been sitting down.  
  
"Stand," Semon ordered.  
  
"Bite me!" Lita snapped. Semon cocked an eyebrow, then reached down and pulled Lita  
  
to her feet, and checked her out. Lita felt detested, then Semon grabbed one of her breasts! She  
  
slapped it away, hard.  
  
"Don't you _ever_ touch me there without permission!" she yelled in his face.  
  
"A real fire in this one, sir!" he called.  
  
"Actually, it's lightning," Lita chuckled to herself. Semon then glanced at Adara, who  
  
quietly rose to her feet. Semon checked her as well, and she merely sobbed through it, not doing  
  
anything when he briefly grabbed her breast. He then went back to Theophilus.  
  
"Both in good condition, healthy, a little sunburned but nothing too serious," he reported.   
  
"What do you think?" Theophilus thought for a moment, then pulled out some coins from his  
  
bag, and looked at Petros.  
  
"I'll give you one hundred more for the both of them," he said.  
  
"But I am saving the broken one for the brothels in Dorium," Petros said. Theophilus  
  
pulled some more coins.  
  
"Two hundred, that's a hundred each, easily more than what you'd make at any brothel,"  
  
he said. Petros shrugged and took the additional money.  
  
"Again, you rob me, sir," he said, and walked off to talk with another customer. Semon  
  
came over and unhitched them from the post, taking them back over to the other slaves purchased  
  
by him and Theophilus.  
  
"Seems we cannot lose each other," Vassos commented. "At least you will have a long  
  
life."  
  
"What do you mean?" Lita asked.  
  
"Doubtless you are to give us 'warriors' 'entertainment' between matches," another slave  
  
said. "Us men are for the arena."  
  
"You mean...gladiators?" Lita asked, feeling shocked.  
  
"What else?" another slave said, looking totally defeated. At that point Theophilus  
  
clapped his hands and was lifted again, Lita's wand sitting in his lap.  
  
"Let us return to the villa," he declared, and they left the market area.  
  
The town was a dusty one, mostly looking as though made of dirt and clay, but with  
  
multiple structures clearly made of solid sandstone and brick here and there. Lita kept a careful  
  
watch on the layout of the town/city, planning her eventual escape.  
  
They finally arrived at a villa composed of what looked like hard baked clay, but on closer  
  
examination was in fact light colored sandstone bricks, about fifteen hundred meters square in a  
  
thirty long by fifty wide spread. From what she could see, the main house was only twenty meters  
  
long by ten meters wide, and two stories high, and the slaves' quarters filled one whole side of the  
  
grounds, about thirty meters long, and ten meters from the outside wall in. The rest of the  
  
grounds were an open area, set up for combat practice, apparently. And there was one spot  
  
where a couple of slaves were chained and being lightly flogged - a punishment area.  
  
The house itself was two stories high, and all in all didn't look too interesting...from the  
  
outside. The villa had only one entrance, the main gate, and soon the men were placed with  
  
fifteen more picked up from other slavers, and Lita and Adara were placed to one side. Then they  
  
were all stripped, and redressed in clean, white togas, and sandals, their old clothes all tossed onto  
  
a bonfire. Lita stared in horror as her shoes, socks, and school uniform went up in smoke.  
  
*Ah, man!* she thought. *How am I supposed to explain _that_ to the school?!* Food  
  
was then passed around, and Lita ate to keep up her strength. Escape was now a little more  
  
difficult, but still not impossible.  
  
After a brief while they began to take each of the new men and pitted them against a tall,  
  
muscular man with unruly black hair, blue eyes, and a small mustache named Urian, who dressed  
  
the same as them, but with a red paint spot on his chest. Each man dueled Urian with wooden  
  
swords, afterward each being painted in the same way, either red or yellow. Vassos got red. She  
  
finally turned to say something to Adara, only then noticing she was huddling against the wall, a  
  
complete wreck.  
  
"Adara?" she asked. Adara just quietly sobbed.  
  
"You the new 'entertainment'?" a male slave asked, grabbing Lita by the arm and twisting  
  
her around. "Ooh, you look nice." Lita stared at him for a moment as he started to feel up her  
  
thigh, then kneed him in the groin! As he fell in pain, Lita whipped him around and wrapped the  
  
chain of the shackles she now wore on her wrists around his neck, tightly.  
  
"_Anyone_ touches me _or_ Adara like that again, dies!" she snapped, "Got it, buddy?!"   
  
Everyone in the villa turned to look at her, including Theophilus, who had been set down near the  
  
main house, still sitting in his chair. Adara was shocked. Someone was actually standing up for  
  
_her_ as well as themselves. No one had ever done that for her before, except when Lita had  
  
fought off Petros's men back in the desert.  
  
"Drop him," Theophilus commanded, and Lita looked at her new 'owner' quietly, then  
  
unwrapped the chain from around her would-be victim's neck, kicking him away. "Semon, give  
  
her a sword."  
  
"Sir?" Semon blinked.  
  
"I want to see how she fares," Theophilus said.  
  
"Oy, vey," Semon muttered to himself, but nodded to the servant with the wooden  
  
swords, who went and handed one to Lita. Lita blinked at being handed a weapon, then realized  
  
what Theophilus wanted her to do. Swallowing, she stepped forward, and Urian took a swing at  
  
her. Lita brought the sword up in a block, then tried to thrust it at Urian, who dodged and swung  
  
again.  
  
This time Lita ducked, and did a sweep kick, knocking Urian's feet from under him. He  
  
was surprised by the sudden move, so much so he didn't react until Lita had jumped up and held  
  
her sword to Urian's chest.  
  
"Your move!" she said, and Urian snapped his blade up into hers, knocking it away, then  
  
jumped up, sending Lita flying backward, and grabbed her foot, pointing his own sword at her.   
  
She blinked at the sudden reversal.  
  
"You should have disarmed me first," Urian said.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Theophilus called, and Urian released Lita, stepping back. "Red,"  
  
Theophilus stated as Lita got back to her feet.  
  
"Red, sir?" Semon stared at him.  
  
"Red," Theophilus repeated. "She'll go in, Semon. She'll make us a fortune, I can feel  
  
it!" Another servant/guard walked up with the red paint and brushed a spot onto the center of  
  
Lita's chest. This one she let pass.  
  
"What makes you think I'll do any fighting for you?!" Lita asked Theophilus. "Just give  
  
me one good reason why I oughta!"  
  
"How about a life?" he asked. Lita's eyes widened, and Theophilus turned to Semon.   
  
"Find the one named Adara, and put her with the house slaves."  
  
"But who will pleasure the men?" Semon asked.  
  
"We can get other pleasure slaves, they can wait," Theophilus said.  
  
"Okay, for her safety...I'll do what you want..." Lita relented. *Guy's pretty nice when he  
  
wants to be,* she mused. Just as Semon was about to move forward, Adara dove out of the  
  
crowd and flung her arms around Lita.  
  
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Lita!" she cried. "Thank you so much!"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing," Lita said lightly, "Just my ass in a sling."  
  
* * *  
  
"So your 'owner', Theophilus, has your wand?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Yes, may I continue?" Lita answered.  
  
"Sorry," Hotaru apologized.  
  
"There's more?" Ami asked.  
  
"Well, yeah, you do want to know how I wound up here in Rome, don't you?" Lita  
  
replied.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Serena said. "Shoot!"  
  
"Okay," Lita said, "I'd just been named a gladiator instead of a pleasure slave, and frankly  
  
I didn't really look forward to it anymore than I had to being a 'pleasure girl'..."  
  
* * *  
  
Lita trained with the men in the use of the sword and shield over the next few days,  
  
learning what she would need to survive in the arena. She prayed Trista would suddenly arrive  
  
with Amara, and that Amara would chop through her chains with the Uranus Dagger, and they'd  
  
all escape to the twentieth century, but as the days passed, no sign was evident of an impending  
  
rescue. On the plus side, Adara was safe, and doing quite well from what she heard. On the  
  
other hand, Theophilus had taken her wand into the main house, and she had no idea where it  
  
was, or what Theophilus was doing with it. She prayed he wasn't planning to melt it down, but  
  
unless she found a way to get into the house, she had no way of knowing for sure.  
  
On occasion, she would be chained to another slave, and had to fight another man while  
  
so restrained, to learn teamwork. Occasionally she would be chained to Vassos, with whom she  
  
learned to move with and anticipate each others moves very quickly. He had no more interest in  
  
dying than she had. Other times she would be chained to a prick named Nero, who seemed to be  
  
out just for number one: him! She predicted an early 'retirement' in his future.  
  
Finally, fifteen days after her purchase, she was lined up with the other gladiators owned  
  
by Theophilus, and Theophilus was carried out of the house in his chair, and was carried up to the  
  
line, Semon walking in pace nearby.  
  
"Gladiators!" he announced as he was carried down the line of nearly twenty arena slaves,  
  
"Soon you will enter battle. Know now, that all of you are living on borrowed time! And when  
  
the sweet Hecate comes for you, as you know she must, to take you to your final judge, the great  
  
ruler of the Underworld himself, Pluto, god of the dead and less than living, it will be to the sound  
  
of..." At this, he rose his hands, and clapped. "Only much louder, of course," he grinned. Lita  
  
watched him, curious.  
  
*Is he the laziest man in the history of laziness?* she wondered. Then she glanced at his  
  
legs as he passed her by, and noticed something. They were toneless, as though any muscle build  
  
up he'd made in them had gone out long ago. Thinking on it some more, they hadn't moved even  
  
a bit while she'd watched. They'd just sat there. They hadn't even so much as twitched  
  
subconsciously, as most people's legs would have if they'd been sitting for a while. They almost  
  
came off as useless...useless? Then it hit her.  
  
"You're a cripple!" she said aloud without thinking. Theophilus's grin vanished, and he  
  
snapped his fingers.  
  
"Hold!" he cried, then pointed downward, "Down." Semon and the servants carrying him  
  
did as commanded, and once he was set down, he turned his head to look at Lita. "What did you  
  
say?" The other slaves stayed still as rocks, and Lita quietly swallowed.  
  
"You're a cripple," she said again, nervously. "You're paralyzed from the waist down,  
  
that's why you're always sitting. You can't use your legs anymore. Well, can you?" She waited  
  
to get reprimanded, or possibly punished even worse, but instead Theophilus just smiled warmly.  
  
"I like you, girl," he said. "You're very bright. And you're absolutely right. I lost the  
  
use of my legs almost seventeen years ago, in my last, glorious battle in the Colosseum."  
  
"What happened to the other guy?" Lita asked. "Get too close to the lions?"  
  
"I ran him through the heart a second after he landed the blow that stole my legs from  
  
me," Theophilus replied. "After that, I was freed, for all the difference it really made. Now it is  
  
your turn to battle, and to die." He made a hand signal, and was lifted aloft again.   
  
"GLADIATORS, I SALUTE YOU!"  
  
With that, they were lead from the compound to the local arena, a circular affair about  
  
forty meters in diameter, with seats all round. They were handed real weapons - steel swords and  
  
metal shields and bronze axes and blood stained maces and spears. They were lined up at the  
  
gate, a group of gladiators awaiting them on the other end, the spectator crowd roaring for blood  
  
to be spilt for their entertainment.  
  
"Don't worry, Lita," Urian told her. "You're a red, the gods' color. They are with you."   
  
Then finally, the gate was opened, and they charged out into battle.  
  
Lita noted that five of Theophilus's gladiators were killed very quickly. To her horror, the  
  
other gladiators they were to fight, about thirty in all, had helmets covering their heads and  
  
gauntlets covering their hands and wrists, and metal armor plate skirts around their waists. This  
  
made things a little more difficult. Lita held the sword she'd gotten carefully, and blocked each  
  
blow the guy in front of her threw with his axe. As she parried another blow, a sword thrust in  
  
beside her, nailing the man in the gut. Swallowing, Lita made a thrust into his chest, and watched  
  
him fall, bile in her throat. She turned to see who had thrust first - it was Vassos.  
  
"I have your back, Lita," he said, beginning to battle another enemy gladiator.  
  
"And I have yours," Lita replied as yet another came at her with a large, solid, spiked  
  
mace. Out of the corner of her eye she noted that Nero was getting to know another gladiator's  
  
axe blade, personally. *Yep, early 'retirement' for him!* she thought.  
  
As the battle progressed, she saw the other gladiators on her side doing well, and Urian  
  
had grabbed another weapon from a fallen enemy, taking opponents down in a fluid motion.   
  
Before she knew it, the battle was over - her side had won, with only seven losses. Staring at the  
  
field before her, Lita quietly dropped her sword, feeling even more queasy. She was no longer  
  
sure how many she had personally wounded or killed, and it made her sick just to think about  
  
what she had done.  
  
And the crowd was cheering in complete delight!  
  
"Hey," a small boy's voice rang out, "That one's a girl! I like her, she's good! She took  
  
down five or six just by herself!"  
  
"Yeah, she's amazing!" a little girl's voice agreed. Lita felt her horror rise higher at the  
  
'compliments', and turned and walked for the gate to get out. Fortunately, her fellow gladiators  
  
were being taken back out, anyway, and she gladly followed. When she got back to the  
  
compound, she slumped against the wall, breathing deeply.  
  
"What's wrong, Lita?" Vassos asked coming up to her.  
  
"I've never killed before," Lita admitted. "Not like that. It was horrid! Disgusting! How  
  
could anyone enjoy watching that?!" Vassos moved forward and hugged her.  
  
"It was the first time for me, too," he told her. "They say it gets easier with time."  
  
"I don't want it to get easier," Lita felt herself begin to cry, "I don't want to do it at all!"  
  
"We have little choice," Vassos said, and his hand dropped...low. Lita blinked when she  
  
felt the light caress upon her posterior, and snapped around, knocking Vassos back.  
  
"Keep your hands off!" she roared.  
  
"Sorry!" Vassos held up his hands in the international sign for surrender.  
  
"Poor Vassos," Urian came up wearing a grin, "Our Lita is no easy catch! You must get  
  
her to like you first, then she will let you grope as you will." Lita scowled at him for a moment,  
  
then turned toward the guards.  
  
"Can we sell him to the opposition so I can kill him?" she called, and Urian also rose his  
  
hands in surrender.  
  
"Forgive," he still grinned. "The fiery one dost command!" Lita sighed quietly, her mind  
  
still brooding, and her ears still ringing with the last words shouted by the two children. She  
  
hadn't even looked at them, not that she'd even known where to look.  
  
* * *  
  
Over the next week, Lita fought in three more arena battles, two with the others, losing  
  
only one other man in the first, and one on her own against two large men. She hated herself for  
  
having killed the ones she'd killed, but she had no interest in dying herself; not yet, anyway. After  
  
the fourth battle, Theophilus called her to his personal quarters on the second floor of the main  
  
house.  
  
The room was a lavish affair with an open, glass-less window on one side giving a view of  
  
the town, setup with a rather extravagant bed with plush pillows and satin sheets and velvet  
  
blankets. Various decorations were around - paintings, a couple of small sculptures, a gold  
  
emblem on one wall - and there was a desk for writing with a pair of goblets, a pitcher, and a plate  
  
of fruit upon it, as well as a number of rolled up scrolls, near the center of the room. And on a  
  
small round table to the side, sitting in a small glass case, was her transformation wand!  
  
Forgetting herself, Lita moved forward, and began looking for a way to get the case open  
  
and retrieve her power to become Sailor Jupiter, Soldier of Lightning! The case was metal  
  
framed, with a small lock upon the front, but no key was in evidence. On the other hand, the  
  
glass looked pretty fragile, it'd probably break under one good karate chop...  
  
"That's not yours," Theophilus said from where he sat near the desk, "Not anymore."   
  
Lita snapped around to stare at her owner, who stared back, calmly.  
  
"Please," she said, "may I have this back?"  
  
"And what will you do with it?" Theophilus asked. "Sell it for food after you escape?"   
  
Lita blinked. "Oh, don't play me for a fool, my dear," he said. "What slave doesn't dream of  
  
escape and freedom? I, myself, dreamed of it many a time while I was a gladiator. But I learned  
  
to love what I did. And you will, too. As to the bauble, I do admit that the craftsmanship is...  
  
exquisite. That's why I bought it, you know. I've always had an eye for artwork." He leaned  
  
over and poured himself a drink, then leaned back with the filled goblet in hand and continued.   
  
"That fool, Petros, would have sold it to someone who would have torn it apart for the ivory and  
  
the gold, and the emerald, of course. The ceramic would have been utterly destroyed, and more  
  
would be the pity for the world because of it. It is an excellent piece of work. It should be, and  
  
shall be, preserved." He quietly took a drink from his cup.  
  
"And it is useless to you," Lita moved over to him. "Yet it is everything to me. Please, I  
  
beg you, Theophilus, return it."  
  
"And of what use is it to you, my dear?" Theophilus inquired. Lita leaned in close.  
  
"To me, it is power!" she told him. "With it, I can call upon the forces of lightning, and  
  
bend them to my will alone, as a plaything or as a weapon. It would make me an even greater  
  
gladiator than I already am."  
  
"And I would have to burn you as a witch," Theophilus grinned. Lita's face fell. She  
  
hadn't thought of that!  
  
"Forget I said that," Lita pulled back. "What did you want to talk about, anyway?"   
  
Theophilus smiled warmly.  
  
"Would you like a drink?" he indicated the other goblet, and leaned over to fill it from the  
  
pitcher. "It's quite good." Lita nodded, and timidly picked up the other goblet, carefully sipping  
  
the liquid within. It tasted like grapes. "I must admit," Theophilus commented, "I've never really  
  
had a taste for wine. But the flavor of grapes, in liquid form, has always been a guilty pleasure.   
  
Oranges, too, actually."  
  
"So there's no alcohol in this?" Lita asked.  
  
"Not a drop," Theophilus smiled, and Lita took a large swig. *Yep, grape juice!*  
  
"Thanks," Lita said. Theophilus continued to smile warmly. "Where's Semon?"  
  
"In here, I prefer to do things for myself, within reason," Theophilus told her. "He's in his  
  
own chambers, doing...whatever he does with his free time."  
  
"Oh, okay, just wondering," Lita said.  
  
"You have done well, so far, my dear," he said, changing the subject. "The crowd here  
  
loves you. They see you as an absolute wonder, and I have to admit, that I must agree. You have  
  
much potential, and I want to see it harnessed."  
  
"You could set me free," Lita suggested.  
  
"Surely you jest," he replied. "My dear, there is a fire in you, yet you seem to refuse to  
  
try and harness that flame."  
  
"I don't care," Lita said. "I don't care what you think, what the crowd thinks, not one bit.  
  
All I care about is being free again, and getting my wand...my bauble back. That and nothing  
  
else."  
  
"Are you afraid?" Theophilus asked. "Afraid to unleash the fire that would make you  
  
truly famous in the annals of the arena for all time?"  
  
"Yes, I am afraid," she answered. "Afraid of becoming like you. Of becoming someone  
  
who doesn't know how to do anything but steal life away from people, instead of giving it back to  
  
them. Of losing that flame you so admire. That flame is my soul, my spirit, and if you make me  
  
do as you ask, it will die, just as surely as if you'd thrust a blade through my heart."  
  
"You are honest," Theophilus said. "And that...is a start."  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Next time, Lita's story concludes in Chapter 8: Theophilus! Be there!  
  
Want to talk? Send your E-mails to Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	8. Chapter 8: Theophilus

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And now Lita's tale of gladiatorial servitude continues...  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 8: Theophilus  
  
Two days later, she fought in another solo battle, her against one, half crazed, brute of a  
  
warrior. Seeing the bloodlust in his eyes, she killed quickly, striking him through the heart at the  
  
first opening, then left, to the cheers of the crowd, and the blond twins who had rooted for her in  
  
her first battle, the two no older than six or seven at best.  
  
The day after, she was scheduled for another. She waited with the others of Theophilus's  
  
camp in a wooden cage just outside the arena itself for her turn, and Theophilus was carried up in  
  
his chair nearby, Semon once more at his side, and called to her.  
  
"You kill too quickly, my dear," he said. "Remember that you are an entertainer, they  
  
want you to be a hero, to keep coming back for more." Lita rose quietly and walked forward to  
  
the end of the cage and passed through the gate. As she went through, Theophilus, who had been  
  
carried up in tandem with her, called out, "So entertain!"  
  
Lita stepped into the battle area, looking at the three men before her, one carrying a  
  
spiked mace, another a spear-topped battleaxe, and the last carrying two broadswords. She  
  
hefted up her own sword, ready to do what she had to do. This time, as she had in the last three  
  
battles, Lita wore a simple leather armor vest and skirt, nothing fancy or ornate, but a form of  
  
protection, nonetheless.  
  
The three charged forward, and Lita sidestepped, and performed a quick spin kick into the  
  
spear wielder's skull. He dropped. The other two snapped around, and Lita back peddled across  
  
the arena, getting them to come after her. They followed, and she began blocking their swings,  
  
avoiding their slashes and attacks. She would just as soon not get involved at all, but survival  
  
insisted.  
  
The axe wielder swung down, and Lita dodged, and swung down, clipping the back of his  
  
thigh, eliciting an enraged roar of pain. He swung at her again, this time more wildly, and Lita  
  
threw a forward kick into his chest and bounced away. The other remaining opponent made the  
  
bad choice of getting too close to his fellow at the wrong moment, and got nailed in the face by  
  
the axe, falling to ground.  
  
In the audience, Theophilus was brought to his private seat, Semon still at his side, and  
  
watched all that occurred below him. Lita had truly been a wise choice for the arena. The  
  
audience filled the arena's available seating, and some of the nearby hillsides that gave a view of  
  
any kind at all of the intense action as well. Nearby were Maxos and Arete, the seven year-old  
  
twins of his main competitor, Agamemnon. The two had become won away by Lita during her  
  
debut appearance in the arena, and Theophilus knew that couldn't have sat very well with their  
  
father.  
  
"Hello, Maxos, Arete," he greeted them. "How's your father this day?"  
  
"Hello, Theophilus," the boy, Maxos, replied. "Father is fine, and sends his hate."  
  
"I can't say I'm surprised," Theophilus said.  
  
"Hello, Theophilus," Arete, the girl, turned and greeted him. "Can I buy her from you?"  
  
she pointed at Lita down below.  
  
"My Lita?" Theophilus asked. "My dear Arete, certainly not! I don't care how much  
  
your father's willing to pay."  
  
"My father won't pay," Arete said. "He says 'anyone Theophilus owns will die by my  
  
men sooner or later, and the girl is just plain lucky!'" Theophilus couldn't help but laugh lightly  
  
at Arete's imitation of her father. It was priceless.  
  
"And how's your mother?" he asked.  
  
"Mother is fine, and sends her love," Maxos said. He hadn't turned a bit since the battle  
  
had started, truly to follow his father as an arena entertainer. The crowd roared then as the  
  
second man fell in death. Theophilus paid it only a moment's notice.  
  
"But I really want her!" Arete said. "Lita's so amazing! I want her to be my gladiator,  
  
fighting for my glory!"  
  
"She fights for no one's glory," Theophilus told her. "She says that I am a monster, and  
  
that she will not let herself become like me. But I think she is turning despite herself."  
  
"I still want her," Arete turned back to the action. Below, Lita still fought the last man in  
  
the arena against her. He swung his axe around viciously, Lita barely dodging and parrying. He  
  
was moving so fast and hard, it was hard to get an opening. But then Lita dropped, back flipped,  
  
and scooped up a spare sword from the ground, and used one sword to block the axe while  
  
thrusting the other deep into the other gladiator. His eyes stared ahead for a moment, then he fell  
  
like the others, the second sword left in his torso. Lita stared at him moment, the remaining  
  
sword still in her hand.  
  
"She did it!" Arete squealed in delight, while the crowd was quiet for a moment. Just then  
  
Agamemnon strolled over and looked at his rival. Theophilus looked back.  
  
"So there you are," Theophilus said. "We were just talking about you."  
  
"About me, or about my losses?" Agamemnon asked dryly. Theophilus ignored him, and  
  
looked again at Lita. He sighed deeply.  
  
"That girl is impossible," he sighed. "Doesn't even take stage directions."  
  
"You can't control your own gladiator?!" Agamemnon laughed, then sneered. "What a  
  
wimp. Pussy whipped." Theophilus reached up and grabbed Agamemnon by the ear, and pulled  
  
him close, painfully. His eyes bled anger.  
  
"Watch your tongue, or you might lose it," he glowered threateningly. Agamemnon just  
  
stared back at him.  
  
"Well?!" Lita called from below, distracting their attention. "Are you sickos not  
  
entertained?!" She huffed, then tossed her sword to the ground and left the arena as the crowd  
  
erupted into roars of approval. Lita wasn't sure which was worse anymore - the killing, or the  
  
cheering during and afterward.  
  
* * *  
  
"Lita, are you sure you're okay?" Serena asked, deep concern in her voice. Lita had  
  
begun to cry while recounting her battles in the arena.  
  
"No," she said. "I hate what I've been forced to become. I just want to stop, but I  
  
can't."  
  
"You didn't kill the last guy in the battle we saw," Hotaru pointed out. "Hell, you didn't  
  
kill any of them! They all killed each other trying to kill you!"  
  
"She's right," Ami said. "You're not a monster, Lita! Not yet!"  
  
"If the last man, Renatus, hadn't surrendered, if he had forced me to," Lita said, "I would  
  
have killed him. I know I would. I want to live. I'll hate myself for the rest of my life for what  
  
I've done here, but I don't want to die." Lita began to sob, and Serena leaned forward and  
  
hugged her friend closely.  
  
"If you can still feel pain, if it still hurts," she said, "then you haven't lost yourself, Lita. I  
  
know you haven't."  
  
"Really?" Lita asked.  
  
"Yeah," Serena smiled her best smile as she leaned back. "And I know we'll find a way to  
  
free you. Hey! I could buy you! I mean, I'm sure I have enough to cover your costs! I just need  
  
to talk to this Theophilus!"  
  
"He won't sell," Lita said, "I'm too valuable to him. But...he did tell me one way I could  
  
get my freedom..." Serena's face fell slightly.  
  
"Oh?" Hotaru asked. "What?"  
  
"Well, let's see, where was I?" Lita wiped her eyes. "Oh, yeah, my last arena battle in  
  
Gerchium..."  
  
"Don't you mean Derorium?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Whatever..."  
  
* * *  
  
Three days went by without another battle, and Lita was glad of it. Training, however,  
  
had not ended. Each day was filled with practice. And then, on the twenty sixth day of her stay  
  
in Ancient Rome, she was again summoned to Theophilus's chambers in the main house. The  
  
sheets had been changed since last time (big surprise!), and a new plate of food sat on the desk  
  
with some more papers and scrolls, but otherwise everything was the same, with one minor  
  
exception.  
  
Now sitting next to the desk and Theophilus was a wooden sword with three gold plates  
  
on the hilt. It was a simple affair, two foot long with no notable extravagances, but it seemed  
  
important to Theophilus all the same. Almost as important as her wand was to her.  
  
"Hello, my dear. Juice?" he asked. Lita nodded, and Theophilus poured them both a  
  
drink, and Lita took hers willingly. This time it was orange juice with what tasted like a squirt of  
  
peach. It was pretty good.  
  
"What's up?" she asked. "Think of a new way to try to kill me?"  
  
"Well, that wouldn't please Maxos and Arete," Theophilus grinned.  
  
"Who and who?" Lita asked.  
  
"Your top fans," Theophilus explained. "Seven year-old twins, the offspring of my main  
  
competitor, Agamemnon."  
  
"Blonds with pretty blue eyes?" Lita took a guess.  
  
"Ah, you've noticed them," he said. "I imagine their father is quite annoyed at their  
  
choice in favorite gladiators. Arete wants to buy you, you know." Lita jerked lightly in mid drink  
  
at this news.  
  
"She what?" Lita blinked.  
  
"Oh, yes, she's been quite taken with you. Practically begged me to sell," Theophilus  
  
commented, and then told her of his conversation with the children and their father during the last  
  
battle. "Right now you are far too valuable a prize to let go of, though, my dear."  
  
"Anyone else offer to take me off your hands?" Lita asked. *Like maybe a green haired  
  
woman carrying a long pole arm?*  
  
"No, not yet," he replied. "And not anytime soon, I'm afraid. We're going to Rome."  
  
"We are?" Lita asked. "Why?"  
  
"The new Caesar, Commodus, has decided, in his wisdom, to institute a series of  
  
gladiatorial games in the Colosseum. At last, we will return to the heart of it all. It is an  
  
awesome prospect."  
  
"The Colosseum...that's going to be one hell of a crowd," Lita mused.  
  
"Precisely, my dear," Theophilus stated. "Precisely. And that is why I have called you."  
  
"Oh?" Lita looked at him carefully. Theophilus raised the wooden sword up. The top  
  
plate, on the butt of the hilt, had his name on it, the second, on the side of the butt, something in  
  
Latin she couldn't understand, "Exarenain Libertatem", and the third, on the bottom of the side of  
  
the hilt, the name of Marcus Aurelius, with a pair of Roman numerals, CMXVII and CMXIII  
  
under it. *917 and 913? That can't be right...must be the old dating system before Amino  
  
Domini was adopted...wait, why is it counting down? Wait, maybe they're not dates, maybe  
  
they're something else,* Lita thought as she looked at it.  
  
"This, is the symbol of my freedom, a Rudius," he told her. "I was good, and the crowd  
  
adored me for it. And then, after my last battle, the Caesar Marcus Aurelius took me aside,  
  
touched me with this, on the shoulder, once, and I was a free man."  
  
"You met the Emperor, and he gave you a stick?" Lita's face filled with disbelief.  
  
"I did not meet him," Theophilus said, "I said he touched me once. And while this may be  
  
a mere piece of wood, what it symbolizes is...without price. Surely even you, can see that?"  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" Lita asked, her face softening.  
  
"If you do well in the Colosseum, as I did," Theophilus said, "then maybe you, too, shall  
  
sit at the foot of an Emperor. And then you will be free."  
  
"And all I have to do is kill?" Lita said.  
  
"Win the crowd, dear," he corrected. "Make them love you, as we love you. Win the  
  
crowd, and you will be free. Become the best."  
  
"Very well," Lita said, kneeling down to look him evenly in the eyes. "I'll do what I have  
  
to do. And I'll give them a show to tell their grandchildren's grandchildren about, if that's what it  
  
takes!"  
  
"Yes, my dear," Theophilus smiled in his warmest smile yet. "And then, if the gods are  
  
willing, you will earn your freedom as I did."  
  
"Oh, I will," Lita agreed, "I will."  
  
"And then, if the gods are willing, I would like you to wear...this," Theophilus said,  
  
reaching behind himself to bring up a red leather Roman armor dress with a prominent bronze  
  
stag embroidered upon it in the center, it's front hooves raised as though in attack of something.   
  
Lita stared at the dress for a moment, then took it in her hands.  
  
"I would be honored, Theophilus," she said, and he laid a gentle hand upon her shoulder in  
  
acknowledgment.  
  
* * *  
  
The trip to Rome was not fun.  
  
First they traveled for a day and a half to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, which  
  
surprised Lita as she'd thought they were further away, and then boarded a large cargo ship for  
  
the European mainland on the other side. To her shock, she saw Maxos, Arete, and two she  
  
could only figure as being their parents boarding up, too, in the passenger area that Theophilus  
  
was entering, and several of Agamemnon's gladiators were being loaded with her and the rest of  
  
Theophilus's 'stock' in the lower reaches.  
  
The conditions in the ship were less than thrilling. Simple cot bunks for each person, zero  
  
privacy, and the only toilet facilities was do it out the window! Not that her quarters in the  
  
compound had been any better or anything, but...  
  
After two or three hours of waiting, the boat moved off, setting sail across the  
  
Mediterranean. The trip took about three more days, and both Urian and Vassos made it their  
  
business to keep any would-be rapists away from Lita, having named themselves her 'stalwart  
  
protectors', as did pretty much all of Theophilus's men, much to her great surprise. Even Semon,  
  
who stayed primarily with Theophilus in the first class compartments to run his day to day  
  
errands, made it a point to come down twice a day to check on her. "Theophilus's orders," he'd  
  
said, yet Lita could see something in his eyes that said he would have done it even without orders  
  
from their master.  
  
Finally, the boat pulled into a dock, and over the course of about three more hours was  
  
unloaded, Lita and the others of her camp being reunited with Theophilus. Once everyone was  
  
accounted for, Theophilus signaled for his small caravan to move forward, and about an hour later  
  
they came up to Rome. Lita and several other gladiators came from the boat to the city on foot,  
  
but that was alright.  
  
As they moved through the city and the crowds to their temporary compound a few  
  
blocks from the Colosseum, Lita couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of all that was around  
  
her. She'd never realized just how amazing Rome was at the height of its Empire. And when she  
  
saw the Colosseum in the distance, she felt overwhelmed.  
  
"Is that it?" she asked.  
  
"You better believe it!" Urian said. "That is the work of men!" Theophilus was carried  
  
by, Semon nearby, and leaned to her.  
  
"Remember," he said, "Win the crowd." Lita nodded, and he moved on.  
  
"Hey, that one's a _girl_!" a child's voice called out. *Oh, no, not again...* Lita thought.   
  
But this time it was three young girls, each about ten or so, whom came skipping to the front of  
  
the crowd and pacing them.  
  
"What's a girl doing with the gladiators?" one asked.  
  
"Are you here to give them pleasure before they go and die for us?" another asked. Just  
  
then Maxos and Arete came running up the line as fast as their little legs could carry them, then  
  
slowed to a reasonable gait, catching only the last comment.  
  
"She's Lita the Amazing!" Maxos declared.  
  
"She's the best gladiator in Derorium, she is!" Arete added. "And when she has bested  
  
the best the Colosseum has to offer, I shall buy her with what I win by betting on her with my  
  
allowance!" Two of the three girls were awe struck at the endorsement, and the third just stared.  
  
"She's a gladiator?" she asked. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, the best!" Maxos said again. "No one can beat Theophilus's Lita!"  
  
"Move along, children," Lita said. "I've got people to fight. No time for autographs!"   
  
The line proceeded forward, and they eventually arrived at the new compound, merely half the  
  
size of the old one, but just as serviceable, the living quarters for the owner again two stories  
  
high, but only fifteen meters by fifteen meters. Lita wondered idly when she was first to be tossed  
  
into the arena of Rome.  
  
* * *  
  
"He wants what?!" Theophilus looked at the Colosseum announcer, an elderly, balding,  
  
fat man in rich togas and a red wig. The two were in a marketplace outside the Colosseum itself,  
  
and Theophilus was once again wishing for the gods to return to him the use of his legs that he  
  
might kill someone, preferably the announcer! Semon was at his side, as always.  
  
"Your top fighter, this woman warrior who's gained so much fame in Derorium, is to  
  
battle five male gladiators in the Colosseum today as the warm-up match before the Battle Of  
  
Carthage re-enactment," he said.  
  
"Are you mad?!" Theophilus half roared. "Is he?! No, wait, don't answer that question,  
  
clearly quite rhetorical!"  
  
"You realize, of course, that you have no choice," the announcer said. "What the Caesar  
  
commands, the Caesar gets. And that means your little female wonder gets slaughtered before the  
  
"barbarians" of Carthage."  
  
"And that's another thing," Theophilus commented, still fully irked. "What fool did you  
  
get to supply the fighters for that one?! Agamemnon?!"  
  
"No, Proximo, from Zucchabar," he answered. "If it makes you feel any better, he was no  
  
less pleased."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised," Theophilus said offhand. "Wait, I remember him! I would  
  
have fought him myself if not for...this..." he waved his hands at his useless legs.  
  
"Ah, yes, so I am told," the announcer said. "Just make sure she's ready to die." And  
  
with that, the chubby ass walked off. Just then, Agamemnon came up, looking just as happy.  
  
"Got asked to turn your best into sacrificial lambs for the mob, too, huh?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, as a 'warm-up' for Proximo's losses," Theophilus confirmed, and snapped his  
  
fingers, his bearers raising him. "North! And you?"  
  
"_I_ get the honor of supplying the warriors for the re-enactment of the final battle against  
  
the barbarian hordes in Francia!" Agamemnon said as they started to move through the crowd.   
  
"And we all know how the then Caesar ended that one!"  
  
"Indeed," Theophilus agreed. "About the only consolation I have is that I'm only losing  
  
one gladiator."  
  
"Lucky you," Agamemnon's sarcasm was plain.  
  
"Was I boasting?" Theophilus asked. "I've never met the Caesar Commodus, yet it seems  
  
that we've both managed to piss him off somehow, sight unseen!"  
  
"So I noticed," Agamemnon replied. "So, how soon do you think he'll order all of your  
  
best men to die pointlessly for the crowd?"  
  
"Three...four days..." Theophilus said offhandedly, then waved his hand to the east,  
  
changing their direction. "You hungry?"  
  
"Now that you mention it," Agamemnon replied. "Anywhere in mind?"  
  
"Over here," Theophilus said, indicating a food cart coming up manned by three men, a  
  
young woman, and a little girl. When they got through the crowd, Theophilus snapped his fingers  
  
again, and his bearers halted. "You, slave girl!" he called to the little black haired child. "Three...  
  
no, five meals, if you please." The girl nodded, and relayed the order to the young woman who  
  
was cooking. The three men, one old, one middle aged, and one young, gave him only a passing  
  
glance, not that he expected anything else. The young woman glanced at him over her shoulder  
  
only once while cooking.  
  
"Think your's have any chance of survival, Agamemnon?" Theophilus asked mildly.  
  
"With that setup?" Agamemnon answered. "Only the gods can save them now."  
  
"That's what I thought," Theophilus said. "Same with my poor dear. One against five!   
  
The Caesar Commodus is quite mad!"  
  
"You think she can't handle it?" Agamemnon blinked, truly surprised.  
  
"With three or more of my other top fighters, no problem," Theophilus stated. "On her  
  
own, most likely no chance at all. She's never had such odds, not since her debut, anyway. And  
  
even then she had half of my whole stock at her back! My poor dear... She's at a clear  
  
disadvantage, you know."  
  
"Oh?" Agamemnon asked.  
  
"Oh, yes," Theophilus said, "but not because of her gender. Her size, she is clearly out  
  
matched by most of Rome's best. That's why I wanted to do only team matches while here.   
  
Anything else is, by definition, lunacy!"  
  
"Your meals, sirs," the slave girls handed the plates out, Semon handing two to  
  
Agamemnon and Theophilus, and taking three himself. "Five gold pieces each." Theophilus  
  
handed her twenty for his four, and Agamemnon handed her five for his own, and then Theophilus  
  
again snapped his fingers and was lifted.  
  
"Over by the fountain," he instructed. "Crowd should hopefully be a little less over there.  
  
Do we have enough drink, Semon?"  
  
"Two skins, sir," Semon replied, nodding to a small bag hitched to his belt.  
  
"Good, we'll stop there and all eat together, and share the drink among us. You, Belen,  
  
and Christos as well," Theophilus stated.  
  
"Thank you, sir," the three chorused, and made all speed for the fountain.  
  
"You spoil them," Agamemnon said. "You are too soft with your slaves."  
  
"Only these three," Theophilus said. "After all, they are now my legs, as I have none. I  
  
owe them at least a little courtesy, if not gratitude for their sacrifice on my behalf." The three  
  
quietly accepted and felt boosted by their master's praise and acknowledgment. "Believe me,"  
  
Theophilus continued, "had you lost your legs in the Colosseum as I had, you would feel the  
  
same." He then tried a bite of his meal, and smiled. "This is pretty good."  
  
"I suppose," Agamemnon ceded, then tried a bite as well. "Mm, you're right." A  
  
moment later they reached the fountain, and all had a very pleasant midday meal.  
  
* * *  
  
"How many?!" Lita shrieked through the bars as everything was being set-up. She was  
  
now in the cage pit below the Colosseum, awaiting her time for battle.  
  
"Five," Theophilus said, and told her of his encounter with the announcer and  
  
Agamemnon just after. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry?!" Lita shrieked. "I'm gonna get killed! I can barely handle _three_ competitors  
  
at once, there's no way I can take five!"  
  
"Well, there is one advantage you could use," Theophilus told her. "The Colosseum is far  
  
larger than the arena you normally battle in, so you might be able to use that to give yourself some  
  
breathing room while you're figuring out how to win, if there's any way at all."  
  
"You could cancel the match!" Lita suggested, getting a look of astonishment from her  
  
master. "Can't you? Please," she grabbed his shirt through the bars, "I know you've got a heart  
  
in there, somewhere! Pretty please?!"  
  
"Do you wish to go into the Colosseum with your hands," Theophilus asked, "or without  
  
them?" Lita immediately pulled her hands back in.  
  
"Sorry, sir," she said. "Won't happen again! Just nervous angst. But about my plea..."  
  
"The match was arranged by the Caesar Commodus himself!" Theophilus said. "Even I  
  
am not _that_ suicidal! I'm sorry, my dear, there's nothing I can do. You have three hours or so,  
  
I suggest you try to make peace with the gods, and beg them entrance into the Elysion Fields  
  
when the death blow comes." He then snapped his fingers and waved to the southeast, and was  
  
lifted and carried away. Lita slumped against the bars, ignoring the pain from her now squished  
  
chest.  
  
"Five?" Lita asked the air. "I am so _dead_..." Then a thought had occurred to her.   
  
She'd been using her martial arts to aid her in all her other battles, though with the last few the  
  
other guys had started to get wise to it and account for them. But none of the gladiators in Rome  
  
itself knew of them! She may have a chance yet! Hey, she could pray, couldn't she?  
  
* * *  
  
The time drew nearer to the battle, and Lita slowly psyched herself up. She'd cooked up a  
  
very simple strategy: stay alive! The other gladiators prepared and donned their armor for their  
  
own battles to come, and Lita went over to the rack and got hers and slipped it on, making sure  
  
the restraints were good and tight. Then, as extra protection, she picked up a good, sturdy shield  
  
to go with her sword. She glanced at helmets, but most weren't in her size, and those that were  
  
risked obstructing her vision to take a chance on. If she was going to stand a chance at surviving  
  
this, she was going to need _all_ of her vision, normal and peripheral!  
  
"Lita!!" a voice called, and she turned to see Maxos and Arete standing near a side exit to  
  
the street. They were all smiles, sadly. "We will cheer for you, Lita!!" Maxos called.  
  
"Yes, we know you will win," Arete cried. "You are unbeatable!"  
  
"Thanks," Lita said, "I actually needed that this time. Better get going, or you'll miss it!"   
  
The twins smiled at her acceptance, and scooted off to find their seat in the Colosseum above.   
  
Lita sighed quietly. *I don't think I'll ever understand those two,* she thought.  
  
Near the street entrance where she'd spoken with Theophilus last at, she noticed the guy  
  
called 'Spaniard' talking with a little boy. A few feet from the boy was a little girl with bright red  
  
hair, waiting almost timidly. As she turned her head away, her peripheral vision caught another  
  
flash of hair...pink hair.  
  
Her head snapped back, but she detected no one with pink hair anywhere nearby, and the  
  
boy the Spaniard was talking to had gone, the red-head with him. And the Spaniard was now  
  
donning a silver helmet that partially obscured his face. *Must be my imagination,* Lita  
  
reasoned, and went through the other gladiators to find the entrance to the main arena. As she  
  
moved through, a guard tapped her shoulder, and she turned to him.  
  
"You Lita?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Lita answered.  
  
"This way," he nodded his head to one side, and she followed his lead. He led her through  
  
a small underground network of cells and cages to a small platform that seemed connected to  
  
some primitive gear mechanisms. Straight above it was an opening to the sky, and through it she  
  
could hear the crowd getting worked up.  
  
"Step on," the guard instructed. "They intend for you to enter here."  
  
"Okay," Lita said calmly, taking a few breaths, and stepped onto the platform. From  
  
above, a male voice starting calling above the rest.  
  
"Romans! On this wonderful day of the games, we have a special treat!" the voice called.  
  
"All the way from the southern arenas of Derorium, from the camp of the once proud gladiator  
  
Theophilus, a woman warrior of no simple skill, who today shall battle not one, not two, but five  
  
stout men till only one person is left standing!" At this point she could hear heavy footsteps  
  
entering the arena above. Lita swallowed nervously as she prepared to enter the arena herself.   
  
After a few more moments, the platform she was standing on began to lift upward, and she  
  
realized she was standing on an old fashioned version of an elevator!  
  
*Here we go,* she gulped, and a few seconds later she was lifted into the main arena,  
  
giving her the first view she'd had of her competition...and the enormous crowd of thousands!   
  
*Oh, god...* she thought.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, young and old," the announcer cried, " I give you the woman  
  
wonder!  
  
"Let's hear it for LITA THE MAGNIFICENT!!!"  
  
* * *  
  
"We know what happened next," Hotaru said. "I hate to tell you this, but Ami and I were  
  
in the crowd, Lita."  
  
"You must have been the ones who shouted that warning near the end," Lita said. "Or  
  
maybe Rini...uh, Serena, do you know what happened..."  
  
"Ami told me," Serena said. "I can't believe Rini had to watch all that...or that you had to  
  
be a part of it...any of it..."  
  
"Are you okay, Lita?" Ami asked. "It looked like one them did get a hit in." In response,  
  
Lita lifted her shirt to show them the bandage. Fortunately, it had stopped bleeding.  
  
"Serena, I don't suppose you could, you know, give it a little push so it doesn't scar?"  
  
Lita asked. Serena smiled, directed Hotaru with her hand to watch the door, and pulled out her  
  
locket, using the Silver Crystal's power to hasten the healing process somewhat. She stopped  
  
after only a few moments, and Lita knew she wasn't completely healed, but that she now no  
  
longer ran the risk of gaining a large, ugly scar when it finished on its own. She lowered her shirt  
  
back down, and Serena signaled for Hotaru to come and sit back down as she quietly stowed her  
  
brooch.  
  
"So," Lita said, "How have you all been doing in Ancient Rome?"  
  
"Well, as you already know, Rini was kidnapped because of her hair and is now a slave to  
  
the Prince of Rome," Serena said, "And as it happens, the stand where your owner got his meal  
  
earlier is where I'm currently working to earn the three thousand gold I need to buy her back."  
  
"Three thousand?!" Lita cried. "Why so much?"  
  
"That's what Lucius paid for her," Serena explained. "Aside of that, I've had a pretty  
  
good time, except for the constant worry, the heartache, Georgio..."  
  
"Who?" Lita asked.  
  
"Georgio," Hotaru answered. "A boy your age at the place we're all staying. He wants  
  
to marry her."  
  
"Serena!" Lita said, trying to sound shocked, but failing. "You know you have Darien!"  
  
"That's why I keep telling him no," Serena replied, "No matter how cute he might happen  
  
to be."  
  
"And then there's Iosif," Hotaru said. "He wants to marry Ami!"  
  
"Huh?!" Ami blinked.  
  
"What?!" Serena and Lita stared in shock.  
  
"Oh, please, Hotaru," Ami said, trying to wave it off. "He's just a good friend."  
  
"Oh, come on, Ami," Hotaru said, "It's only so obvious! The guy's totally fallen head-  
  
over-heals for you! And he's much better than his brother, who I will kill with extreme prejudice  
  
should I happen to see him again."  
  
"HOTARU!!" the others snapped at her. "You can't mean that!"  
  
"Wanna bet?" Hotaru stared at them impassively.  
  
"Why would you want to kill him, anyway?" Lita asked.  
  
"Maybe we should start at the beginning..." Ami said, and she and Hotaru told Lita of  
  
their entire Roman adventure, stopping after their arrival in Rome the previous day and finding of  
  
Serena. Lita thought quietly a moment on what she had just learned about their time, most  
  
especially on Eleutherios's attempted rape of Hotaru, and clear and possible intent to rape Damris  
  
later when the girl got back.  
  
"You're right," she finally said to Hotaru, "Kill him slowly and painfully! In fact, should  
  
he turn up in the arena against me, I'll lop his gonads off, _then_ kill him!"  
  
"LITA!!" Serena and Ami snapped.  
  
"Have you forgotten that you're Sailor Jupiter?!" Serena asked. "Look, I agree with your  
  
reasoning, okay, but Sailors do _not_ kill humans unless they have no choice, like you don't when  
  
you're...in there..."  
  
"Sorry," Lita said. "Just the idea of Hotaru almost getting defiled like that, and the SOB  
  
getting away unpunished, ticks me off!"  
  
"It pisses us all off," Serena agreed, surprising them all with her choice of language. "But  
  
there's nothing we can do about it now, so it would be best to try and put it behind us."  
  
"I just don't think I can," Hotaru said gloomily. "I want to see him _hurt_ for what he  
  
did. I can't help it."  
  
"Hey, ladies!" a guard called from the barred door to the private cell, "Time's up!"  
  
"But we're not finished visiting!" Lita said. "Can't we finish our girl talk?"  
  
"Sorry, Lita, but your owner wants you back now," the guard said. "And there's a girl  
  
here named Damris saying she's to pick up someone named Ami and Hotaru and bring them back  
  
to a Lady Hrisoula on the double."  
  
"Oops, that's us," Ami said. "Guess we have to go."  
  
"I'll come by the street entrance when I have more time," Serena said. "I'll tell you my  
  
story in full then, or come and tell you at Theophilus's compound, if I can find it. At least I know  
  
what he looks like."  
  
"Sure, Serena. See ya all later," Lita bid her friends good bye, and they reciprocated, and  
  
the door was opened, the three leaving. A moment later the guard came in and unshackled her,  
  
leading her back to the Colosseum cells, and the entrance to the street where Urian, Vassos, and  
  
Semon were waiting.  
  
"Hi, guys," she greeted them.  
  
"We waited for you," Vassos said, worry in his eyes. "It took so long, we began to think  
  
maybe they couldn't get enough."  
  
"Are you all right, Lita?" Urian asked.  
  
"They didn't aggravate your injury, did they?" Semon asked. He and Urian also looked  
  
worried.  
  
"I'm fine," Lita assured them. "They friends of mine, Rini's mother and two others. We  
  
just talked." The three men calmed considerably as she, Urian, and Vassos were released to  
  
Semon's custody, who led them back to Theophilus's Roman compound. As they stepped  
  
outside into the street, Lita noticed it was evening, the sun quickly disappearing below the  
  
horizon.  
  
"What about?" Vassos asked.  
  
"Dresses," Urian said.  
  
"Babies," Semon nodded confidently.  
  
"The past," Lita corrected them. "We just did some catching up. How I wound up as a  
  
gladiator, what's been happening to them since we last saw each other, stuff like that."  
  
"Oh," they said.  
  
"Well, as long as you're no more harmed than when you left," Urian said, and the other  
  
two agreed.  
  
Lita thought about what Hotaru had said about Iosif's feelings for Ami, and this Georgio's  
  
feelings for Serena.  
  
*Could it be?* she thought. *Could Vassos, Urian, and Semon...be in love with me?*   
  
She thought about it some more, looking at each of them quietly, their calm expressions and  
  
demeanors, then shook her head. *Nah...*  
  
* * *  
  
Serena, Ami, and Hotaru found Damris waiting near a northern exit from the Colosseum  
  
cell areas, and the guard then lead all four of them out to the street, where they found Iosif and  
  
Georgio waiting.  
  
"They insisted on coming," Damris told them as the guard left them and they started  
  
walking through the streets back to Ariadne's and Tatius's.  
  
"Oh, that's okay," Ami said as she readjusted her cloak. "Actually, it makes me feel a  
  
little safer."  
  
"Which is why I came," Iosif said. "The streets are likely not safe at night in Rome."  
  
"Yes," Georgio agreed. "Your safety, Serena, is my greatest concern."  
  
"Uh, thanks, Georgio," Serena nodded politely. *Where's Darien when I _really_ need  
  
him!* she thought.  
  
"So, how was your visit?" Damris asked. "Is she as fierce chained as when she fights?"  
  
"Lita?" Hotaru asked. "Nah, she's real nice. She's our friend, that's why we went to see  
  
her."  
  
"A friend," Damris said. "Who was all the way in Derorium?"  
  
"Yeah, so?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Who was until recently on the other side of the Mediterranean?" Damris asked.  
  
"Damris, what are you getting at?" Iosif asked, his own curiosity rising, as was Georgio's.  
  
"Yeah, she was, so?" Hotaru replied before Damris could. "What are you trying to  
  
imply...wait...the other side of...Derorium's in...Africa?"  
  
"Of course," Georgio said. "It's northern border is just three leagues off of the northern  
  
coast." Serena and Ami both shot a glance at each other. Damris knew something! At that  
  
moment, they were saved from total revelation by the most unlikely candidate of all!  
  
"Well, well, well," a familiar, at least to Serena, male voice chuckled. "If it isn't Pinky's  
  
mother." They stopped and turned to see Barvus Cephiro standing nearby, leaning against a small  
  
statue of some god or past Caesar, grinning. He stood up and strolled calmly in their direction.  
  
"You know, sweetie," he said, "I realized belatedly I should have taken you as well as  
  
your girl." He then glanced at Ami. "I dare say, the way the torch light bounced on her hair, I  
  
almost thought it was...blue."  
  
"Actually," Ami said, reaching into her pocket, "It is blue."  
  
"Oh?" Cephiro beamed. But then Ami pulled out her papers from Hrisoula.  
  
"Don't even think about it, buster! I am a personal slave of Lady Hrisoula of Tercham,  
  
and have come with her to Rome on holiday," she showed him the papers. "And don't try to tell  
  
me it doesn't say that, because _I_ can read!" Cephiro gave them a glance, then shrugged.  
  
"And people wonder why I prefer to _avoid_ the Austrian provinces," he said.  
  
"Who...?" Hotaru started to ask, but Georgio cut her off.  
  
"So, _you're_ Barvus Cephiro!" he said. "My father told me what you do, how you stole  
  
poor Decima from our neighbors!"  
  
"Decima?" Cephiro batted an eye. "Oh, yes, her. I didn't steal, kidnap, or enslave her,  
  
_boy_."  
  
"Oh?" Georgio asked. "So she wound up in one of your cages by magic? The power of  
  
the Gods, perhaps?"  
  
"Or in your personal cart?" Serena asked, then swallowed lightly. "Willingly?"  
  
"Willingly?!" Georgio shrieked lightly.  
  
"How'd you figure that out?" Cephiro stared at Serena.  
  
"So I'm right," Serena sighed. "The Decima I met when I tried to steal Rini back from  
  
your compound _was_ the same Decima Thernacius told me about."  
  
"Wait, you met her?" Georgio asked.  
  
"Yeah," Serena said. "And not a chain on her..."  
  
"She left Tarria of her own free will," Cephiro confirmed. "To marry me, and she has also  
  
born me a strong son."  
  
"Timotheos?" Serena asked as Georgio looked on dumbstruck. Iosif and Damris weren't  
  
really following the conversation too well, as they didn't know who Cephiro was, but the looks  
  
on Ami and Hotaru's faces were enough to let them know he was to be considered an enemy...of  
  
some kind.  
  
"Ah, so you saw my boy as well," Cephiro smiled wider in his smug way.  
  
"And Cavinus's girls, uh, Zea and the other one, sorry didn't actually catch her name,"  
  
Serena admitted. "Wasn't hard really, he called Decima 'Mommy' when I saw him."  
  
"Lelia," Cephiro said, drawing a blank from Serena. "Cavinus's elder daughter, her name  
  
is Lelia. Oh, yes, I do wish I'd taken you when I had the chance."  
  
"Why?" Serena asked, not really curious, but hoping for an opening to knee this asshole in  
  
the nuts!  
  
"If you can birth one pink haired child, surely you could birth another, and another, and  
  
another," Cephiro replied. "But at present I have other things to worry about. Plans to fulfill..."  
  
"You lay one hand on my beloved," Georgio snapped, pulling out a dagger and holding it  
  
in Cephiro's face, "and you leave here to meet the barge driver on the River Styx!"  
  
"I can pay Charon for a private ride,"Cephiro boasted, slapping the blade away  
  
effortlessly. "Can you?"  
  
"So you're the monster who kidnapped and enslaved Rini!" Hotaru broke in.  
  
"Rini?" Cephiro blinked, then nodded in understanding, "Ah, yes, Rini Shields, our pink  
  
haired wonder. Oh, yes, that would be me." He then turned back to Serena. "Bit of a bother at  
  
first, she actually tried to escape from me!" Serena felt a chill go down her back, as did Ami and  
  
Hotaru. "But six lashes later took the fight right out of her! Oh, yes, after that she learned  
  
perfect obedience. I dare say she's being just as obedient for Lucius Verus. Even in his bed!"  
  
Cephiro began to laugh at his own comment nastily. At that moment, a low, dull thud resounded  
  
through the air, and Cephiro's eyes widened in shock as he fell down, groaning and clutching his  
  
private parts. Serena pulled back and stared at her handy work, the others looking on in shock at  
  
what she'd done.  
  
"Serena..." Ami gasped.  
  
"Consider this _extremely_ restrained!" Serena's voice was filled, for the first time in her  
  
life, with absolute hate. "Especially since what I _really_ want to do is _kill_ him!" She then  
  
turned and walked away, her heart now secretly aching worse than ever. The others quickly  
  
followed her, leaving Cephiro on the ground.  
  
"You win this time, blondie," Cephiro squeaked as he tried to pull himself together. "But  
  
only this time. We _will_ meet again!" After a few minutes the pain subsided, and he got to his  
  
feet. He glanced menacingly at the nearby citizens and their slaves who had stopped to look, and  
  
then continued on his way to his original destination.  
  
Theophilus's Compound.  
  
* * *  
  
"You hit him where?!" Thernacius stared at Serena.  
  
"Right between the legs, father!" Georgio stated happily. "It was beautiful!"  
  
"Now, Georgio, calm down," Ariadne said, then turned to Serena. "Your poor child, I do  
  
hope she's recovered alright." Serena just nodded, clenching one fist over and over. Shortly after  
  
they had gotten back, they had sat down to dinner, everyone in the household attending, as per  
  
Ariadne's request. Little Zacharias just munched quietly, not saying a word.  
  
The meal in question consisted of salad, peaches and oranges, and roast turkey, with wine  
  
and well prepared grape and apple juice to drink.  
  
"Um..." Hotaru said, "I really hate to ask, but when he said 'six lashes', did he mean..."  
  
"He flogged her," Serena said, her voice full of venom. "He flogged my baby. I should  
  
have taken Georgio's knife and slashed his fucking throat!!!"  
  
"But you didn't," Ami said, placing an arm around Serena's shoulders comfortingly.   
  
"You proved you were better than him!" At this she glanced at Hotaru, hoping _she_ was getting  
  
the point, too.  
  
"I've been under the whip a few times," Damris said, "While I belonged to Korudon.   
  
Zacharias, too. You wouldn't believe how much it hurts."  
  
"We can," Galea and Felicia said.  
  
"Oh?" Hotaru asked, nibbling her salad nervously.  
  
"Yeah," Felicia said. "When Rini and Salina tried to escape, we did too...but we got  
  
caught getting out of our cage. We got three lashes. Each."  
  
"Our backs are probably scarred now," Galea said gloomily.  
  
"Oh, they are, dear," Ariadne said. "I have seen them, you know. And now that I think  
  
about it, at the auction they did say that Rini and the other girl sold with her had been flogged  
  
once for disobedience."  
  
"While I agree that disobedient slaves should be punished accordingly, flogging a child  
  
is...is...insane!" Hrisoula voiced her opinion on the matter. "He could have killed her! And  
  
would he have cared?! I sincerely think not."  
  
"No," Serena said. "I don't think he would have allowed Rini to come to fatal harm...she  
  
was too 'valuable' to him then."  
  
"Poor Rini," Hotaru said. "But...she looked alright at the Colosseum. So she must be  
  
okay! Despite the...scarring..."  
  
"And to think that Decima actually wedded that...monster!" Thernacius said. "And bore  
  
him a child!"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't mention her sooner," Serena said. "But I didn't know she was  
  
the same Decima you told me about. I don't know about you, but Decima sounds to me like a  
  
pretty common name."  
  
"So it is," Thernacius agreed. "And it wasn't like I'd ever shown you a picture of the girl,  
  
either."  
  
"The man has no moral compass," Iosif said. "If my brother was evil, he is far worse,  
  
from what I saw."  
  
"To be honest, I just try not to go anywhere near his place, myself," Tatius commented as  
  
he sipped from his wine goblet.  
  
"Can we talk about something else, please?" Zacharias stared at all of them with pleading  
  
eyes. They glanced at him a moment, then nodded quietly, all of them smiling.  
  
* * *  
  
Pherinias slowly crept through the shadows, making his way along the palace walls to an  
  
upper window. His years as a master thief and hired assassin were coming in handy now. Soon,  
  
yes, very soon now, he would have his long awaited revenge. It had taken several days of careful  
  
planning and recognizance to figure out a relatively quiet and safe way into the palace, but now it  
  
would all be worth it!  
  
Ahead, he could see his entrance. He approached very quietly, and as he came up to it, he  
  
glanced inside. A Praetorian Guard was coming, so Pherinias ducked back into the shadows and  
  
waited until the man's footsteps retreated. When it was safe, he slipped through the window, and  
  
carefully hid in a storage room, pulling out the map he'd bought from a more disgruntled servant,  
  
checking for where the Prince's chambers were, as rumor had it he kept his two love pets there at  
  
night.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Ooh...there's trouble afoot! What does Pherinias have in store for Rini and Salina? And  
  
what will he actually get? Be here next time for Chapter 9: Plots  
  
Want to say something to me? Yell, perhaps? Just send me a jingle at  
  
Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	9. Chapter 9: Plots

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!   
  
And a sinister plot is looming closer...  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 9: Plots  
  
"Theophilus, there's someone to see you," Semon said at Theophilus's door.  
  
"Really?" Theophilus asked as he continued to look through some scrolls, making notes  
  
with his quill here and there. "Show him in."  
  
The room was a general duplication of his room in Derorium, as he preferred that  
  
arrangement, and he had even brought Lita's wand for the corner. He did so love that piece of  
  
artwork, though he often thought of Lita's comment about it giving her power. Cephiro came in,  
  
and moved over to the desk, looking at the ex-gladiator passively.  
  
"Marcellus Theophilus," he said. "I am Barvus Cephiro."  
  
"That's nice," Theophilus glanced at him, and picked up his goblet, taking a drink of the  
  
potion held therein. "You'll excuse me if I do not stand up."  
  
"Whatever you like," Cephiro said. "I wish to speak with one of your...warriors."  
  
"One of mine?" Theophilus looked up, an amused smile on his lips. "To what do I owe  
  
the honor? Wait, you wish to buy him at a low cost, and then sell him to one of my competitors  
  
at two to three times what I sold for. Is that it?" He then put the goblet back down.  
  
"No, I merely wish to speak to her," Cephiro smiled back.  
  
"Her?" Theophilus blinked. "You mean my dear Lita?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Cephiro nodded. "I assume you saw what happened in the Colosseum?"  
  
"Of course," Theophilus replied. "My Lita beat some of the best Rome had to offer. Five  
  
to one, and she got four of them to send each other to Pluto via the Charon Ferry! And allowed  
  
the last one to live, though I dare say his ego didn't survive too well."  
  
"I meant the Spaniard, Maximus," Cephiro said. "I do believe he wishes to kill  
  
Commodus."  
  
"Oh, that would be a tragedy," Theophilus said, his voice full of mock worry. "We better  
  
notify the Senators. Oh, wait, most of them were there, weren't they? Well, then, I think that  
  
takes us out of it, doesn't it?"  
  
"I was thinking forwards, actually," Cephiro said, leaning his weight on the desk slightly.   
  
"To _after_ Maximus kills him."  
  
"Oh, like he'll ever get that chance," Theophilus chuckled, looking back to his scroll.  
  
"Actually, I do believe he will get his chance," Cephiro said. "I don't know about you,  
  
but I was in a position to see _Commodus's_ face, and he seemed almost...livid when Maximus  
  
took off his helmet and revealed his name. I do believe Commodus wants him dead as much as  
  
Maximus wants Commodus dead. I give him a month, tops."  
  
"I still don't see what this has to do with Lita?" Theophilus stated, still looking at his  
  
scroll, and making a few more marks. "I really must consider raising my charges by about two or  
  
three percent."  
  
"It doesn't," Cephiro said, leaning a little closer to Theophilus. "Not one bit."  
  
"What?" Theophilus looked back up.  
  
"I said, it has nothing to do with Lita at all," Cephiro repeated. "It has to do with the little  
  
Prince, Lucius Verus."  
  
"What about Lucius Verus?" Theophilus asked.  
  
"That's between me...and Lita," Cephiro said, smiling slightly. Theophilus simply looked  
  
confused. He knew this slave trader was up to something, but what?  
  
* * *  
  
Pherinias slowly crept through the royal palace of Rome, keeping himself to the shadows  
  
as much as possible. According to the plans, he'd entered on the flip side of the building from the  
  
Prince's quarters, and now had to work his way over to them slowly, so as not to be spotted and  
  
caught. As he passed one chamber he heard two people, a man and a woman, talking and the  
  
rustling of papers.  
  
"Why is he still alive?" the male asked.  
  
"I don't know," the female replied.  
  
"He shouldn't be alive," the male said. "It vexes me. I am terribly vexed. They lied to  
  
me in Germania. They said he was dead."  
  
"Then you must let the Legions know, that their treachery will not go unpunished," the  
  
female stated. Pherinias spared only a glance inward as he quickly swept past. Soon he would  
  
find the chamber he wanted.  
  
And Red and Pinky would die.  
  
* * *  
  
"Fear not, my maidens, for I shall fight for your glory!" Lucius waved a wooden practice  
  
sword in the air, pretending to be powerful and strong.  
  
"Hooray! Our champion goes to battle!" Salina and Rini squealed accordingly. The game  
  
was Lucius's idea, but Rini and Salina didn't mind since all they had to do was sit on one of their  
  
beds and 'cheer' for Lucius. A slave stood quietly and calmly, a barely disguised look of humor  
  
and amusement on his face, to one side with another wooden practice sword. He was to be  
  
Lucius's 'challenger' for the game. Lucius then turned to him and they began going through one  
  
of Lucius's practice routines.  
  
As a Prince and potential future ruler of the Roman Empire, it was important that Lucius  
  
knew how to use the sword should he one day have to lead men into bloody battles and wars.   
  
Rini and Salina watched as he went through the practice session, admiring his already very high  
  
level of skill.  
  
"He's pretty good, isn't he?" Salina said to Rini.  
  
"Uh, huh," Rini agreed. "They've probably been teaching him from the moment he could  
  
walk straight without falling down on his bottom."  
  
"Yeah," Salina said, then blinked. "Bottom?"  
  
"Mm, hmm," Rini said. "I'm a refined young lady, I am! I'm far too modest to say such a  
  
word like..." she quickly glanced around, then closed her eyes into mischievous slits. "Butt." She  
  
and Salina then giggled girlishly at Rini's humor.  
  
* * *  
  
Lita was laying quietly on her bed, thinking about the day's events. Her cell was sparse,  
  
only the small, flat bed, a small altar for praying to the gods and dead loved ones against the side  
  
of the wall, and a clay chamber pot and water filled basin on a small wood table furnishing it. The  
  
bed had only one feather stuffed pillow and a simple handwoven wool blanket on it. Not much,  
  
but it was better than sleeping on straw, or the floor, which was made of concrete.  
  
While it was nice to know that Serena, Ami, and Hotaru were all okay, she still had  
  
questions. What had happened to Serena, how had Rini been stolen away by slavers and Serena  
  
left behind, and how had Rini wound up in the hands of the Prince of Rome?! Also, and probably  
  
most importantly, what was Rini being made to do by the Prince? And she kept finding herself  
  
coming back again and again to the question of whether or not Vassos, Urian, and Semon were in  
  
love with her. It really didn't seem possible, but...  
  
"You look as though you are carrying the weight of the entire Empire upon your  
  
shoulders," a male voice commented, and Lita glanced over at the cell bars that separated her  
  
from the outside world, and freedom.  
  
Outside, looking in on her, was a man with short gold hair and a red-gold beard and  
  
mustache, both well trimmed, and eyes that were a blazing shade of brown. He wore a simple  
  
metal armor vest over a red tunic and well made Roman sandals. In the center of the vest, carved  
  
in shiny, well polished copper, was the Greek letter Delta, with the letters Gamma and Epsilon  
  
side by side below it. Around the letters, in sharp blue and green, were a lion and a large lizard,  
  
like a dragon, each facing away from the letters toward the man's arms.  
  
"Hello," Lita said. "If you're here to have my body, the answer is 'not in your lifetime!'"  
  
"I have a wife for when I'm in need of sex, but I can see why one would want your...  
  
supple frame," he replied. "I am Barvus Cephiro. I have come to talk." He waved a hand, and  
  
one of the servants walked up and opened the door. Cephiro stepped in, and the door was again  
  
closed. It was then Lita noticed he carried a sheathed sword at his waist.  
  
"Feeling a little overconfident, aren't you?" Lita asked. "I might grab that sword and kill  
  
you with it."  
  
"I don't think you will, Lita," Cephiro said. "I could be wrong, but it almost looked like  
  
you were _trying_ to knock out all of your opponents today, rather than kill them."  
  
"I only kill when I'm left no other option," Lita admitted. "But you look as though you're  
  
a rather important person around town, so you might make a good hostage, if nothing else." She  
  
grinned at this as she sat up slowly, still having a small ache from her now considerably less  
  
worrisome wound.  
  
"And there's that," Cephiro waved a hand to indicate her injury. "Oh, yes, I do believe  
  
that the late lamented Thanos got you pretty good today. Before he went and lost his sword arm,  
  
I mean." Cephiro calmly moved over to the alter, glancing at the objects there on, which  
  
amounted to a couple of candles and a throw cloth underneath them, as well as a pair of wood  
  
figurines Lita'd been allowed to carve in her free time. Figurines of her parents.  
  
"Was that his name?" Lita asked dryly. "I'm afraid it didn't come up."  
  
"I really only picked it up myself from those grousing about losing bet money because of  
  
it," Cephiro admitted. "Still, though, it must be pretty bad, huh?"  
  
"It looks worse than it is," Lita said. "If you just came to check on my boo-boos, you can  
  
go now."  
  
"Actually, I came on something far more important," Cephiro said, turning to her. "I've  
  
heard through the wind that you are, though exactly how is beyond my ability to explain,  
  
acquainted with the pink haired wonder."  
  
"Pink haired...you mean Rini?" Lita asked. "Yeah, I know her. She's my friend's girl.   
  
Actually, I'd really like to know how she got enslaved to begin with, to tell you the truth."  
  
"Hmm," Cephiro glanced back to the altar, drifting off into thought for a moment. "Very  
  
peculiar. You came from Derorium, and she was in Devinsa, yet you were friends with her  
  
mother. No sense in it..."  
  
"Sure there is," Lita said, re-grabbing his attention. "My parents and I went for a visit to  
  
Africa about three months ago, my parents got killed by bandits, I got lost in the desert, my camel  
  
died on me, I got picked up by Petros while trying to help one of his 'wares' in her attempted  
  
escape, she and I got sold to Theophilus, he decided to make me a gladiator because...for his own  
  
reasons, etc., etc., etc." Cephiro stared at her for a few moments, then shrugged.  
  
"It makes as much sense as anything," he said.  
  
"Of course it does," Lita put hands behind her head and laid back down. *I just wished  
  
I'd thought of it while I was talking with Serena, Ami, and Hotaru!*  
  
"Anyways," Cephiro continued, "I came to talk to you of the little girl's welfare." Lita  
  
lifted herself up on her elbows.  
  
"What about Rini's welfare?" she asked.  
  
* * *  
  
Pherinias continued his slow journey across the palace. Finally, he saw a lit chamber  
  
ahead of him, and heard the sounds of two wooden swords clacking against each other, and  
  
children giggling and cheering emanating from within, and moved closer. As he drew near, he  
  
heard someone from the side, and ducked behind a nearby tapestry. Glancing carefully out he saw  
  
a pair of servants walk by, and once they were gone, he slipped out and quickly made for the  
  
chamber.  
  
At the door he noticed a guard standing quietly to one side, lightly dozing. He crept  
  
closer, keeping as quiet as he could. When he reached the entryway, he quickly covered the  
  
man's mouth to keep him from crying out, and, taking out his knife, ran him through the heart.   
  
Pherinias then pulled the man aside and hid him carefully behind another tapestry, then returned to  
  
the door.  
  
Glancing inward, he saw a servant sword fighting with the Prince, the two using dull,  
  
wooden swords, as he had surmised from the noise. And behind them, were his targets.  
  
This was going to be easier than he thought...  
  
* * *  
  
Lucius and the servant continued to battle, the two holding even. Rini and Salina  
  
continued to 'cheer' for their 'heroic champion' as he fought for their 'valor'. Compared to what  
  
they'd seen today in the Colosseum, this was far more preferable. At least here no one died for  
  
real! Occasionally Rini and Salina would giggle at Lucius for making a simplistic mistake in his  
  
routine, though more often at a quietly shared joke.  
  
Rini was also worried about Lucius's uncle. From what she'd seen and heard, that  
  
Spanish gladiator, Maximus, was convinced that Commodus was responsible for his family's  
  
murder. And for whatever reason, Commodus clearly wanted Maximus dead, too! It had only  
  
been the pressure of the crowd that had stayed Commodus's hand, and he was clearly quite  
  
incensed about it afterwards.  
  
Just then, she thought she saw someone at the entrance to Lucius's quarters. Someone  
  
familiar. Someone she _really_ didn't _ever_ want to see again! A moment later, the figure was  
  
gone.  
  
"You okay, Rini?" Salina asked.  
  
"Yeah," Rini answered. "Just my imagination."  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro smiled, seeing his latest plan coming to fruition. *Oh, yes, just a matter of time.   
  
Always a simple matter of time.*  
  
"Well, what about Rini's welfare?" Lita asked again, having sat back up fully.  
  
"I hear she has an insolence about her," Cephiro said. "I've heard that she sometimes  
  
dares to speak back to her owner, to question his commands."  
  
"She always was outspoken," Lita said. "But never countermanding, not to her parents or  
  
her elders."  
  
"You think I am lying?" Cephiro asked.  
  
"I barely know you," Lita said. "So I can't really make that judgement yet."  
  
"Did you see her today, at the Colosseum?" Cephiro inquired, turning to look back at the  
  
altar, and picking up the female figurine to look at it more closely, his expression turning very  
  
solemn.  
  
"Yeah, she looked fine," Lita said. "And put down my mom!"  
  
"Did you see her when she went in with Lucius?" Cephiro prodded.  
  
"From the windows in the cell area," Lita said. "She still looked fine. Now put my mom  
  
back!"  
  
"Are you really sure about that?" he looked at her. "Would you swear to her well being  
  
before the gods?" Lita stared a moment before answering.  
  
"Yes," she said. "Put it down."  
  
"That would be a mistake," Cephiro said, finally returning the figurine to its proper place.   
  
"I saw part of her back as she, quite wisely, followed Lucius in retreating from the arena. I saw  
  
scars."  
  
"Scars?" Lita asked, afraid of where he was going with this.  
  
"Whip scars," Cephiro looked at her, his face now grave. "Lucius has had her flogged.   
  
Probably more than once."  
  
"Flogged?!" Lita gasped, her eyes filling with horror at the information. "Rini?! Oh,  
  
Gods, no!"  
  
"Oh, yes," Cephiro stated. "I hear the whip can be quite painful, especially when swung  
  
by a professional expert." *Yes, that's the way, burn my little one, burn.*  
  
"That little..." Lita snapped, her anger beginning to cloud her judgement. "How dare he!"  
  
"He dared!" Cephiro said, raising his voice ever so slightly. "And I have heard rumors of  
  
more."  
  
"Like?" Lita asked, her teeth beginning to grit.  
  
"I hear," Cephiro said, taking a step closer, "that he has also been using her in bed, with,  
  
or without, her consent. At least as far as he is able." Lita felt her anger boil over.  
  
"That little...bastard!!" she roared.  
  
* * *  
  
Pherinias quickly ducked back into the shadows. It seemed for a moment that Pinky had  
  
spotted him. He remained quiet for a moment, then leaned very slowly to look into the room  
  
again. The two girls were now focused squarely on the mock battle. The Prince, Lucius, was  
  
doing well, considering it looked as though the slave he was fighting against wasn't really trying.   
  
At least, Pherinias presumed he was a slave, he couldn't really tell.  
  
He watched for a few moments longer, and then entered the room, crept up behind the  
  
turned back of the slave/servant, and grabbing him with one arm around his neck, rammed his  
  
blade into the man's lower back. He then tossed him aside, and stared at his prey.  
  
* * *  
  
"He is indeed," Cephiro said, keeping himself calm. *She's mine.*  
  
"OOH! If I could only get my hands on him!" Lita growled. First Hotaru had nearly been  
  
raped, and now she'd learned that Rini was being flogged, and quite possibly raped as well, by  
  
some...snot-nosed Prince!  
  
"Maybe you will," Cephiro commented.  
  
"What?" Lita blinked, her anger still burning.  
  
"You're good, very good," Cephiro said. "I give you a month before the Caesar and  
  
Lucius Verus have you brought before them, to grant you your freedom." Lita watched him  
  
carefully now.  
  
"So?" she asked. "I want my freedom. It's the only thing that I fight for."  
  
"But you could use that opportunity," Cephiro stated. "And use it well."  
  
"How?" Lita asked. "Wait, you mean..."  
  
"Yes," Cephiro said, conviction filling his face. "You can kill Lucius Verus!"  
  
* * *  
  
Rini, Salina, and Lucius looked on in shock as Pherinias grabbed the slave from behind  
  
and stabbed him. The slave dropped his wooden sword as he felt the knife sink into him, and then  
  
Pherinias pulled the blade back out, tossing the wounded man aside like a doll.  
  
"You!" Rini gasped.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Salina asked. Both of their eyes had widened in terror.  
  
"Did you really think I was going to let you get away without evening the score?"  
  
Pherinias grinned his sickly, twisted, mean grin, his eyes mean as ever, and now looking just a  
  
touch insane.  
  
"You mean..." Rini said, terror filling her voice, and nearly overwhelming her.  
  
"It's time to die, Pinky," Pherinias sneered. "You, too, Red."  
  
"They are my property!" Lucius said in his most commanding voice, holding his wooden  
  
sword at the ready. "You will not touch them!"  
  
"Out of my way, boy," Pherinias sneered, and Lucius jabbed his sword into the man's  
  
torso. Unfortunately, the wooden blade was nothing against Pherinias's hard brown leather  
  
armor. Pherinias glanced at it, mentally acknowledged that there would be a bruise later, and  
  
swatted the sword aside. He grabbed Lucius by the arm and tossed to him to the floor near his  
  
own bed.  
  
"I told you, boy, I don't care about you!" Pherinias snapped as he tossed the child aside.   
  
"I only want the slaves." He started to walk closer to them, and the two did the only thing they  
  
could think of.  
  
They screamed at the top of their voices!  
  
* * *  
  
"Kill..." Lita stared at him. "I couldn't..."  
  
"You could!" Cephiro said fiercely. "It would be simple. A hidden blade, an arrow head,  
  
or even just poisonous lipstick, if you could stomach giving the boy a full kiss on the lips."  
  
"But...deliberate murder..." Lita said. "I can't!"  
  
"So you would rather your friend's child, a friend, by your own behavior and reactions,  
  
you are very close to, suffer at his hands?" Cephiro asked. Lita lowered her eyes for a moment,  
  
considering.  
  
"No," she said. "I can't let Rini suffer, not like that, not when she doesn't, not when she  
  
could _never_ possibly deserve it!" *I'm supposed to protect her _and_ Serena, after all. It is my  
  
job, after a fashion.*  
  
"Then what is the problem?" Cephiro asked.  
  
"Well, I..." Lita stammered, then looked up. "I'll be killed, that's what! Even if I nail  
  
him, the little prick and his uncle have, like, a thousand bodyguards and soldiers around them all  
  
the time. I'd be turned into chop suey before I could blink!"  
  
"No, you wouldn't," Cephiro smiled.  
  
"Huh?" Lita stared incredulously.  
  
* * *  
  
Pherinias roared, and dove at them, and Rini and Salina dodged to either side. Salina went  
  
for a corner, trying to get out of his reach, but Pherinias saw her, and lunged for her again. To  
  
the opposite side, Rini ducked behind a small rocking horse. She glanced out, saw Pherinias  
  
going for Salina, and dove back out, ramming her full weight into the would-be killer. He turned  
  
on her, and grabbed her by the arm. In desperation, she bit into his wrist, but he only flinched,  
  
and rose his knife to strike again.  
  
Lucius jumped on his other arm, trying to hold the blade back, and Pherinias flung him  
  
back down in rage, glancing at him briefly.  
  
"Fine, you want to die, I'll do you, too!" he roared, "But first, Pinky!" He turned back to  
  
Rini, and found Salina trying to tug his hand off of the pink-haired wonder's arm. *Ah, two-for-  
  
one sale,* he thought, leering at the two panicked girls.  
  
Just then, a large form rammed into Pherinias, knocking him aside, and causing him to lose  
  
his grip on Rini. It was the slave, his back bleeding profusely, his green eyes looking glazed, but  
  
still alive.  
  
"ROUVIN!" Lucius cried. But Rouvin, the slave, didn't listen. He wrestled with  
  
Pherinias for the knife, and Pherinias, in much better shape, easily pushed back. After a few  
  
seconds, Pherinias shoved Rouvin off, and Rouvin flopped down at the base of Lucius's bed.   
  
Pherinias turned back to the three children.  
  
"Enough games..." he growled. Suddenly there was a sickening **thunk**, and Pherinias  
  
stumbled. Six Praetorians had appeared at the door, one carrying a standard bow and arrow set.   
  
One of his arrows was now lodged in Pherinias's back. The guard quickly knocked another  
  
arrow, and fired again into Pherinias's rear as the other five charged in along the sides of the room  
  
to maintain their comrade a clear shot. Pherinias's eyes filled with shock, and he tried to move  
  
forward to the two girls again. But then the other five guards got to him, drew their swords, and  
  
that was the end of Pherinias.  
  
As the five sword bearers wiped clean their blades, and the bowman shouldered his own  
  
weapon and called for assistance and began to check the immediate area for the missing  
  
Praetorian, Rini and Salina dashed over to Lucius, who was kneeling over Rouvin and holding up  
  
his head.  
  
"Rouvin, please say something, anything," Lucius pleaded.  
  
"The man, is he..." Rouvin breathed.  
  
"Pherinias is dead," Rini said. "He won't be hurting anyone else."  
  
"Good..." Rouvin said, then shuddered a moment. Instinctively, Rini reached under,  
  
found the wound, and pressed, pressed as hard as she could, to stop the bleeding.  
  
"Are you okay, my Prince?" a guard asked.  
  
"Yes!" Lucius snapped. "Now get some help for Rouvin!" The guard turned and gave a  
  
silent signal, two of the other guards filing out to get some assistance as the other two were  
  
removing Pherinias's body.  
  
"My Prince...Lucius..." Rouvin said.  
  
"Yes," Lucius said.  
  
"Set me free," Rouvin said. "If I am to die this night, let me die a free man." Lucius  
  
looked stumped, unsure what to say.  
  
"Please, free him," Rini said, then thinking over what she could possibly give Lucius in  
  
return, took a breath and said. "If you do...you can...have my body..." Lucius looked at her, and  
  
Salina stared in surprise at Rini's selflessness. Lucius smiled.  
  
"Keep your body," he said. "I will not trade anything for it." He then turned back to  
  
Rouvin. "You are free, Rouvin. You are free." Rouvin smiled. Salina stared at Rini still, then  
  
glanced at her hands.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Huh?" Rini looked at her. "I'm applying pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.   
  
That's standard first aid...isn't it?" Lucius and Salina just looked at her, and then the guard  
  
leaned down, and gently lifted Rouvin to look at the wound.  
  
"It doesn't look too serious, but it does appear deep," he said, pushing Rini's small,  
  
blood-stained hands aside, and then placing his own in their place, putting far more pressure on it  
  
than she could muster. "And it is standard battlefield practice for tending wounds," he added,  
  
"though I think I shall refrain from asking where _you_ learned it. Go stand watch at the door."   
  
Rini nodded and went over to the chambers entrance. The guard then turned to Salina. "See if  
  
you can find some clean linen for bandages until they get back," he said, and Salina obediently  
  
nodded, and went to seek the requested items.  
  
"Please," Lucius said, looking at Rouvin, "don't go yet." But Rouvin had shut his eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
"I have connections in the palace and the Senate," Cephiro told her. "I can see to it that  
  
you are allowed to live, and are imprisoned."  
  
"What good does that do me?" Lita asked.  
  
"Considering how much Commodus and the Spaniard, Maximus, seem to hate each other,  
  
I give the Caesar a month, at best, before he fowls up and gets killed by the man. Once that  
  
happens, and Lucius is dead, I will make a move to become Regent, whilst a new Caesar is found  
  
and named," Cephiro laid it out for her. "I will silently give you a pardon and let you go free, and  
  
no one be the wiser."  
  
"It still sounds risky," Lita said.  
  
"The risk is minimal," Cephiro said. "And the gains, astounding. You will be free, the girl  
  
will be safe, and I, well, I will be in a position to change the face of the Empire, at least until a  
  
new Emperor is chosen...if ever." Lita thought it over. It still seemed risky to her, but if Rini was  
  
being harmed, assaulted, defiled...what choice did she have?!  
  
"Well," Cephiro asked, "Your answer?"  
  
"I'll only do it for Rini," Lita said, her eyes filled with rage and anger.  
  
"Whatever you like," Cephiro smiled.  
  
"Very well," Lita agreed. "Lucius Verus will die."  
  
* * *  
  
Darien paced restlessly, growing ever impatient as the time drew longer and longer. Mina  
  
sat in a corner, holding Diana, who was beset with worry over the missing Rini. Michelle and  
  
Amara held each other nearby, not sure of anything else to do, and Rei sat on the floor, trying to  
  
find the missing senshi through meditating.  
  
Luna and Artemis sat near the machine, watching as it was worked away on by Trista...  
  
and the man she'd called in for help. They'd only met him once before, except for the Outers and  
  
Diana, and he seemed trustworthy enough. But would either of them be able to decipher it?  
  
"Oh!!" Trista grunted in frustration. "It just doesn't make any sense!"  
  
"Sure it does," her companion commented. Everyone looked at him, and he turned to  
  
them. "If you know what you're looking at," he added.  
  
"And you know what it is, John?" Mina asked. Johnathan Lundar was supposedly an alien  
  
from an advanced race that specialized in many sciences, including Time Travel. They weren't  
  
sure if they believed him, but he knew intimate details of the last day of the Silver Millennium that  
  
couldn't be explain any other way than he had _been_ there! He certainly didn't _look_ a  
  
thousand years old! Thirty, if that, really.  
  
"Of course I do," John said, taking off the spectacles he was wearing. "It's a Time  
  
Bomb." Now they looked at him as though he were looney.  
  
"A time bomb?" Diana asked. "You mean it was set to blow up at a certain time?"  
  
"Ludicrous!" Luna said. "Are you saying it exploded and blew our friends into tiny  
  
pieces?! Impossible, it's still here!"  
  
"Of course it is, Luna," John said, turning back to the device and re-donning his glasses.   
  
"Let me explain. It is not a time bomb in that it is a time delay explosive device. No, far from it.   
  
It is a Time Bomb, an explosive that detonates in time, but not in space. The name here,  
  
'Temporal Transference Research Advancement Protocol', was a dead give away. My people  
  
studied the theory once, but abandoned it ages ago."  
  
"So the others..." Darien began.  
  
"Have been blow across time," John said. "Other than that, they should be peachy.   
  
Separated, but peachy."  
  
"Separated?" Rei asked.  
  
"Oh, yes," John said. "It's really quite simple. When a Time Bomb goes off, there is a  
  
small spacial displacement, as well as the main, usually massive, temporal one. The closer you are  
  
to the bomb, the further back and away you go. For instance, I've calculated that the guy who  
  
was building this thing was blown back approximately..." He picked up some figures he worked  
  
out on a pad of paper by hand, "three to four thousand years ago, and by the power it was amping  
  
when it popped, about the mid-Atlantic, maybe forty or fifty miles off the American coastline."   
  
He glanced back at the attentive group. "I think we can write him off."  
  
"Can't we just throw it in reverse?" Mina asked.  
  
"Oh, heavens no," John said. "These things never do reverse. But you can follow them."  
  
"But where are they?" Artemis asked. "And when?!" John again looked at his pad of  
  
paper.  
  
"Relax, I worked that out, too," he said. "Given where they were standing, they would  
  
have been blown back to sometime in 180 Amino Domini."  
  
"180?!" Darien snapped. "That's almost two thousand years ago!"  
  
"True," John said, then glanced back down. "Also, given relative positions to the Bomb, I  
  
guestimate that Ami and Hotaru would have both wound up somewhere in the southern area of  
  
what is now Austria, though not necessarily together, and Rini and Serena will have landed in the  
  
southern part of Italy, maybe Sicily. And that's provided they didn't land right smack dab in the  
  
middle of the Mediterranean, but I think we can safely say that, that didn't happen."  
  
"How do you figure that?" Amara asked.  
  
"Well, we're still here, aren't we?" he asked her. "And they can't have altered history too  
  
drastically, since even a minor time ripple would have been noticed by now."  
  
"But it's only been," Mina said, checking her watch, "six hours!"  
  
"For us," John said, and then looked abashed. "Did I forget to mention there's a slight  
  
dis-correlation between how much time has passed here and there due to this thing's effects?"  
  
"Yes," Trista said, standing up. "How big a dis-correlation?!"  
  
"They would have experienced about five to seven weeks of history by now," John  
  
admitted. "Oh, and Lita would have landed in upper Africa, relatively near the Mediterranean  
  
coastline. And the exact date each one would have arrived in when they re-entered normal space-  
  
time is simply incalculable. They could have landed within minutes, hours, or even days of one  
  
another."  
  
"Five...to seven...weeks?!" all five Scouts and Darien shrieked.  
  
"Yes," John said. "But hardly anything could have happened to them, so long as they  
  
kept a low profile."  
  
"Um...isn't 180 A.D.," Diana said, "in the middle of the Roman Age?"  
  
"Why, yes," John confirmed, "At the Empire's height...oh, dear. Ami has blue hair."  
  
"So?" Mina asked.  
  
"Well, in that time, she would be considered a 'collector's item' by most slavers," John  
  
pointed out, making the room go pale. "Rini, too, for that matter. You did say her hair was pink.  
  
You really must introduce me sometime."  
  
"My baby...a slave?" Darien whispered, his mind thinking on how most slave owners were  
  
reputed to have treated their 'property' in those days in the history books. An image of Rini  
  
dressed in rags and chains, covered in filth, and forced to do menial labor at some madman's  
  
whim floated through his mind.  
  
"Well, we'll just have to hot foot it, won't we?" John said, returning to the device, and  
  
quickly scritching something on a fresh piece of paper, which he ripped off and handed to Trista.   
  
"Take this to Carol, would you. She'll get you all some appropriate wardrobe."  
  
Snapping out of it, Trista took the page, and Michelle moved up to join her.  
  
"You'll probably need an extra pair of hands," she said, and Trista nodded, picking up her  
  
Garnet rod and waving it, and the two vanished. John continued his work on the machine, and a  
  
few moments later the two scouts reappeared, carrying a load of clothes with them.  
  
While Johnathan finished with the machine, the others stepped out to change clothes.   
  
When they re-entered, Trista had de-transformed, and each girl wore a color coded roman dress -  
  
Rei in red with white lacing and a single shoulder strap, Michelle in a sea green with blue lacing  
  
and double shoulder straps, Trista in indigo with black lacing and double shoulder strap, a shawl  
  
holding in all of her dark green hair, and Mina in a cute yellow-orange number with bright red  
  
lacing and a single shoulder strap, the one bare shoulder almost deliberately worn low near her  
  
breast. They also wore small gold bracelets and simple Roman sandals.  
  
The two exceptions were Darien and Amara. Darien wore Roman battle armor, as though  
  
he were a soldier in the Legions; a dark metal armor vest over a red tunic with a red cape, armor  
  
skirt, and sandals, a helmet with a red tuft of feathers in the top under his arm. And Amara wore  
  
a blue toga with a yellow sash, and the same sandals as everyone else. Artemis looked them over  
  
approvingly, though he did give a stern glance at Mina.  
  
"Yeah, I think that'll do," he said. "Darien, shouldn't you have a sword?"  
  
"I have some Roman coinage, he can pick one up," John said, finishing up, and working  
  
out some final calculations on his pad of paper. "Yeah that'll do it." He turned to look at the  
  
others, and nodded approvingly, then glanced at Amara and Michelle. Michelle wore one  
  
additional accessory: a metal collar around her neck, to which a six-foot chain was attached, the  
  
other end of the chain in Amara's hand.  
  
"What's that for?" he asked.  
  
"Well, my hair is sea-blue," Michelle pointed out. "I wouldn't want to be kidnapped, so  
  
for our trip to Ancient Rome, I shall be Amara's loving and loyal little pet." The others gave  
  
them quiet, somewhat stunned, looks.  
  
"You're into the kinky stuff, aren't you?" John accused. "And Amara, why aren't you  
  
wearing a dress?" Amara just scowled at him.  
  
"Can we get going?" Darien asked. "I feel ridiculous in this thing!"  
  
"Oh, we're ready to roll," John said, and turned and punched a few buttons on the  
  
machine. "I think we can agree that they all would have made for somewhere easy for you to find  
  
them, so we'll send you all to just outside Rome itself, by about two to three kilometers or so, in  
  
about mid-June. That should be enough."  
  
He rose to his feet and indicated for them all to stand in one spot, fishing some Roman  
  
currency from one of his pockets and handing it to Darien, and the three cats quickly hopped into  
  
the group as well.  
  
"Bunch in tight, that should keep you all together," John instructed. "And good luck."  
  
"Aren't you coming?" Rei asked.  
  
"No," John said. "These are galactically illegal for a reason, you know. If anyone asks, I  
  
was never here, and I never saw that thing."  
  
"But, John..." Darien started, but John hushed him.  
  
"We must each follow our own conscience, Darien," he told him. "And mine says that I  
  
must stay here." John then went over and pushed a few more buttons, then made for the door.   
  
"Fortunately this thing has crappy range, anyway, and I can get out of dodge before it pops."  
  
"Wait!" Mina cried. "How do we get back?!"  
  
"You'll just have to use the old-fashioned way," John said. "Use the Time Gate!"  
  
"But..." Trista said.  
  
"It'll be eleven to one! Just knock her out!" John called, and ducked through the lab  
  
door. Before anyone else could say anything, the Bomb flashed, and a moment later they were  
  
gone. John stepped in, and looked at the empty room.  
  
"Well, that's that," he said, and pulled out a small pistol like object from his vest,  
  
adjusting a switch. "Pity to destroy it," he commented to himself, "it's a wonderfully made  
  
machine." He aimed, and fired the Staser, vaporizing the Time Bomb forever. He then quietly  
  
pocketed the weapon. "A pity," he repeated to the air. "Oh, well, back to the Dojo."  
  
* * *  
  
The flash ended, and when Darien and the others could see clearly again, they found they  
  
were standing in a grassy countryside, mountains in the distance, and the sea just a little ways  
  
beyond to the right. Off in the distance to the northeast was a large city, and even from there they  
  
could tell it was made primarily of stone.  
  
Looking around, they saw no one in immediate visual range, and began to head toward the  
  
city. As they approached it, they saw several people working in the fields nearby it, and others  
  
coming and going from the city. For a moment they weren't sure they were in the right place,  
  
though they were definitely in the right time - the togas, dresses, and other robes worn by those  
  
around the place clearly indicated that they were most definitely in Ancient Rome.  
  
"Over there," Darien said, pointing to the city skyline. "It's Rome alright, and no  
  
mistake! That's the Colosseum." They glanced where he pointed, and sure enough, there was  
  
the Colosseum, complete and undamaged...from the outside...  
  
"And it's whole!" Mina stated, her eyes wide with impression. "It's official, we're no  
  
longer in Tokyo, Toto!"  
  
"Woof," Artemis said.  
  
"Cool it, Dorothy," Rei retorted. "Remember people, low profiles! We go in, find our  
  
people, we get out. No tampering with history!"  
  
"Don't need to tell me twice," Amara said, staring at the vast city before them.  
  
"It's so big!" Diana exclaimed. "How will we find them?!"  
  
"We'll look, of course," Luna replied. "We shan't give up till we've found them safe and  
  
sound!"  
  
"I can't believe it's so beautiful," Michelle breathed. "I always thought of the Roman Age  
  
as decadent and corrupt."  
  
"Oh, there's plenty of corruption and decadence," Darien said. "It's just hidden under all  
  
the 'good manners' and 'politeness'. Harder to spot that way."  
  
"I just hope they're all alright," Trista said, her mind centered on Rini and Hotaru. Her  
  
thoughts also went out to Serena, Lita, and Ami, but those three had more than proven time and  
  
time again that they could easily take care of themselves.  
  
As they drew nearer the city, they noticed a cart stopped beside the road, carrying various  
  
weapons. Three men were with it, and were currently working on repairing a damaged wheel.   
  
They moved closer to it, and as the three men continued to work, Darien selected a good looking  
  
blade from the cart, and laid down some of the money John had given him, saving the rest for  
  
later, just in case. As they moved away, Darien glanced at the coins, and many did look of the  
  
proper age and time...but a few looked a little bit off...  
  
They continued toward the city, and Darien quickly strapped the sheathed blade to his  
  
belt, allowing it to hang at his side. The city was truly immense, and there were hundreds of  
  
people. As a safety precaution, Mina took Artemis into her arms, as did Rei with Luna and  
  
Darien with Diana.  
  
As they began to pass through the streets, they quietly began asking if anyone had seen  
  
anybody matching Serena, Rini, Ami, Hotaru, or Lita's description. One man they asked nodded  
  
no on the first four, but when they described Lita, his eyes lit up.  
  
"That sounds like the new woman warrior in the Colosseum," he said. "The one who  
  
took out five of Rome's finest just six days ago. What did you say her name was again?"  
  
"Lita," Mina said. "Lita Kino."  
  
"Yes, Lita the Magnificent!" the man replied. "It probably is her. And magnificent she is!  
  
A real firebrand! I dare say her owner must have trouble with her!" At that they thanked the man  
  
and continued on.  
  
"Lita...in the Colosseum?" Diana whispered. "Why would she be there? And what did he  
  
mean, her owner?"  
  
"She's a gladiator," Darien whispered back. "A slave made to battle other slaves to the  
  
death in barbaric 'games'!"  
  
"At least we have an idea of where to look for her, if it's our Lita," Mina said. "It could  
  
just be someone who looks like her, yeah, that's it, just a look-a-like!"  
  
"Don't count on it, Mina," Amara said. Suddenly, Michelle yelped. They stopped and  
  
turned to see what was up, and saw some guy pawing her chest from behind.  
  
"Ah, yes, fine build, ample anchorage, a good specimen if ever I saw one," he said, and  
  
spun her around. Michelle found herself facing a tall, brutish guy with slightly long brown hair  
  
and a thick, shaggy beard and mustache with mean, deep black eyes. He wore blue dyed metal  
  
roman armor over a blue tunic and a pair of well made sandals, a sword on his waist, and a single  
  
key hanging from his belt. Stamped on the vest in either gold or bronze, they weren't sure which, was a side  
  
view sigil of a powerful Griffin, its talons outstretched. In the Griffin, made apparently from  
  
copper, were the Greek letters Delta, Gamma, and Epsilon, in a triangle arrangement. The whole  
  
vest was clearly kept carefully polished to a shine. He looked Michelle over quickly, and nodded.   
  
"Yes, very attractive, you'll do nicely." He then turned to Amara. "I will pay you forty gold  
  
coins for this slave, my good man."  
  
"She's not for sale!" Amara snapped, then leaning in to ruffle Michelle's hair. "You see  
  
this? Natural! She's worth about a thousand _times_ what you're offering! Besides, I like her."   
  
Amara grinned as the man listened to her voice, realizing his mistake. He then took a careful look  
  
at her.  
  
"You're...a woman..." he said.  
  
"Do tell," Amara said. "Now get lost!" The man suddenly glowered.  
  
"Do you know who I am?" he asked. Darien pulled his blade and pointed it at the slaver.  
  
"Someone with a rapidly shrinking lifespan if you don't take off!" he said. The slaver just  
  
looked at him crossly.  
  
"I am Darvinian Cavinus, partner to Barvus Cephiro, one of the most powerful slavers in  
  
all of the Empire!" he stated, and suddenly pulled his own blade and smacked Darien's aside with  
  
it with ease. "And I am also a master swordsman! So I would not advise pulling a blade on me  
  
again." Darien felt his eyes and face fill with loathing for this man, but checked it.  
  
"Either way, Michelle is not for sale! So beat it!" Rei and Mina snapped together, and  
  
Trista also made herself look as menacing as possible. Cavinus just glanced at them idly. He then  
  
looked squarely at Darien for a moment.  
  
"You almost look...yes, very much so...ah, no matter!" he muttered. "Keep the woman,  
  
then. But you'd better keep both eyes open, or you might lose her." Before they had a chance to  
  
respond to that, Cavinus walked off, dismissing them. For a while they sat and fumed to  
  
themselves quietly, Darien sheathing his blade.  
  
"I am officially in favor of making this as short a trip as _possible_!" Michelle declared.  
  
"Indeed!" Luna whispered quietly. "The nerve of that monster!"  
  
"Grabbing at Michelle like that," Diana whispered, her fur on end. "I oughta bite off his  
  
ear!"  
  
"Cool it, Diana," Artemis told her, also whispering. "I feel the same, but we can't draw  
  
attention to ourselves too much."  
  
"I know, I know," Diana relented.  
  
"I just hope Rini or the others didn't wind up in his vile clutches," Darien said, and they  
  
moved on.  
  
As they continued to ask around, they picked up some hints that a girl matching Hotaru's  
  
general description was seen in accompaniment to a wealthy Roman Lady from the more northern  
  
provinces about a week ago, but nothing overly solid.  
  
On Ami, they came up with almost less than nothing. They caught rumors of a girl similar  
  
to Ami having passed through the market place multiple times, or going into the Colosseum to  
  
watch one of the 'Games' currently in process over the last week, and some claimed longer. But  
  
nothing concrete. All the stories they'd picked up stated that the girl in question wore a shawl  
  
over her head constantly! This, of course, made more positive ID nearly impossible, more so  
  
when most of the people they asked weren't really looking that hard.  
  
For Rini, much to Darien's upset, they got only a pair of rumors. One of a pink-haired girl  
  
sold at a slave auction weeks ago, the auctioneer claiming the color was natural for her. And the  
  
other of a girl with hair dyed a shade of pink in the Imperial Palace, a supposed slave, whether for  
  
labor or for pleasure was dependant on the opinion of who was asked at the time, to the Prince of  
  
Rome, or to his mother, the Lady Lucilla, or maybe to the Emperor himself, Caesar Commodus.   
  
The lack of solid information left Darien feeling very angry.  
  
And finally, they could find little information regarding Serena - blonds were too prevalent  
  
in this age and time, and apparently her hair style either didn't stand out too much, or she'd taken  
  
it down and was wearing it loosely. A few thought they might have seen such a girl, contritely  
  
either in prison, a brothel selling her services, a slave market, or a food market, the last either in  
  
chains or free.  
  
Basically, they were getting nowhere!  
  
"Okay," Rei said, "I hate to suggest this, but right now our only solid lead is that Lita  
  
_might_ be somewhere around the Colosseum. I say we should go over there and ask about her,  
  
who...owns...her, and where he or she might be keeping his...property."  
  
"And it occurs to me," Mina said, "We might want to try to keep the wands, and roses,  
  
stowed at all times."  
  
"Why?" Diana asked quietly.  
  
"Does the term 'witch' mean anything to you?" Michelle said, picking up on Mina's  
  
meaning.  
  
"Sure, an evil sorceress, why?" Diana replied.  
  
"In this time," Darien said, "anyone suspected of having witch, or in my case warlock, like  
  
powers was considered evil...and typically burned at the stake while still breathing, _and_ still  
  
conscious!" Diana's little face shrank in terror as images of all the Sailors and Darien being  
  
torched before a mob calling them evil monsters set on 'bewitching' them all passed through her  
  
young mind.  
  
"Oh..." she said.  
  
"Don't worry, it's not like they'd be able to actually catch us and tie us to the stakes  
  
before we'd made our escape," Luna told her. "Smart thinking, though, Mina!"  
  
"Hey, she's not totally brain dead!" Artemis smiled, and then was beaned over the head by  
  
Mina.  
  
"You insinuating something?" she asked.  
  
"No, sorry, forgive..." Artemis croaked. Luna just sighed.  
  
"Rei's right, though," Trista said glumly. "Lita is the only one we have a solid lead on.   
  
So let's...go to the Colosseum..." No one really cared for the idea, but they turned and started to  
  
make their way toward the largest fighting arena on Earth anyway.  
  
As they drew nearer to the building, they realized they were starting to get a little hungry,  
  
and seeing several different food stands, went up to one selling simple vegetable and meat dishes.  
  
Three women and two small boys ran the stand, and Darien dumped almost all the remaining  
  
money they had for the meal.  
  
Afterward, they moved to a slightly less crowded place to sit down and eat, keeping the  
  
building in sight. As they sat and ate, five men came and sat not three feet away. They got their  
  
attention for one reason - one of the two more important looking one's, who sported yellow eyes  
  
and brunette hair with streaks of grey and silver going through it, and wearing a rich looking red  
  
toga and a white sash, three rings on one hand, and fancy sandals, was carried up sitting in a chair  
  
by two of the three others with them.  
  
The other important looking fellow wore a green toga and blue sash, which looked just as  
  
rich, five fancy rings, and equally fancy sandals, and had faded carrot-top hair and dull green eyes.   
  
The other three all wore simple white togas and sandals. It seemed they were only servants.   
  
They began to eat as well, and the two important ones began talking.  
  
"So, Agamemnon, what's next on your agenda?" the man in the chair asked.  
  
"Well, Theophilus, now that my men have survived the 'Massacre of the Barbarians in  
  
Francia' lunacy, I'm scheduled to have some of my best go against a menagerie of animal and  
  
human contestants next week," the other one, Agamemnon, stated. "And you?"  
  
"Four of my best are to battle with the four best of Nikos, of Churia!" Theophilus replied.   
  
"Fate has smiled on us, Commodus is totally preoccupied with that Spaniard, Maximus, who lead  
  
his group to victory in the Carthage re-enactment, and then trounced Tigris of Gaul's ass the  
  
other day!"  
  
"Yes, it is nice not having to worry about pointlessly wasting our gladiators for some  
  
madman's whim!" Agamemnon agreed. "Oh, I hear you were paid a visit by Barvus Cephiro."  
  
"If you could call it that," Theophilus frowned. "Peculiar man, devious. I don't trust him  
  
an inch."  
  
"He's a slaver, he could supply additional manpower," Agamemnon commented.   
  
"Nothing wrong with that."  
  
"With him, I'd look even closer at the available wares than I usually do with Petros!"  
  
Theophilus retorted. "Mark my words, that man is planning something!"  
  
"Aren't they all?" Agamemnon asked, then glanced at Darien and the others. "Now  
  
there's something you don't see everyday. Check the toy on the chain." Theophilus glanced  
  
over, and ran his eyes over Michelle, who quietly munched her meal.  
  
"Dye, no doubt," he said, "Not unlike the child who dashed into the arena with  
  
Commodus and Lucius Verus. You remember her, surely?"  
  
"The slave girl?" Agamemnon commented. "How could I not. Only a Prince would dye a  
  
girl's hair like that!" Throughout all, the two were eating their own meal, as were the three  
  
servants. The girls and Darien quietly ate their own meals, slipping some to the cats. One of the  
  
servants spotted them, and glanced at them.  
  
"Those three cats are a bit unusual," he commented.  
  
"So they are, Semon," Theophilus said. "Those spots are probably shaved. Some people  
  
are odd with pets." At that point the five finished their meals, and Agamemnon and Semon took  
  
the plates to a nearby wagon filled with...unpleasantness, and disposed of them. Meanwhile,  
  
Theophilus pulled out some papers and glanced at them.  
  
"Oh, yes, it's going to be an interesting week," he said, then glanced back at them. Most  
  
specifically, at Darien. "Tell me, did you lose your legion?"  
  
"No," Darien said, "I have taken leave of the army, and am returning home, stopping in  
  
Rome to see some of the games, and, uh, make a few bets." Darien wasn't sure where that had  
  
come from, but at least it sounded good.  
  
"Well, the war in Germania is over, I suppose some troops are going back to the families  
  
they left behind to fight it," Theophilus said, and then Agamemnon and Semon returned, and  
  
Theophilus snapped his fingers. The other two servants lifted him up, and the small group left.   
  
The girls and Darien sighed.  
  
"Well, that was interesting," Rei said. "We finished?"  
  
"Yeah, let's get going," Mina said. They quickly disposed of their plates in the same  
  
fashion, being careful not to dwell on the other garbage in the wagon, and returned to working  
  
their way to the Colosseum. As they continued through the crowd, they were suddenly pushed  
  
aside by a rude, pompous man in brightly colored robes and a black cloak with deep black hair cut  
  
close to his head, very light stubble on his chin and upper lip, and eyes that were a piercing blue  
  
that made your blood freeze with their coldness.  
  
With him were a six year old girl in a very fancy red dress with long auburn hair and dark  
  
green eyes, and a young woman, not much more than mid-twenties, with light auburn hair in a  
  
bun on her head and brown eyes wearing a beautiful green and purple gown and a small gold  
  
bracelet shaped like a dragon eating its tail on her wrist. The man seemed seriously annoyed about  
  
something, and the girl seemed equally displeased. The woman, however, seemed almost  
  
downcast, submissive.  
  
"Hey, watch it, buddy!" Mina snapped. The man turned, then stared at her for a moment,  
  
then grabbed Mina by the chin and looked closer before letting her go with an angry wave.  
  
"No, you're not her! Not at all!" he gruffed. "The one I want was wearing her hair in pig  
  
tails!" He then glanced at Amara. "And she had it long, not to mention she was a _she_, and a  
  
little younger!"  
  
"What's your problem?!" Amara snapped, her voice filled with ire. She'd barely met the  
  
man, and already she detested him.  
  
"I am looking for a thief," he said. "I know she is still in Rome, her party never returned  
  
to Tarria. She would have had to pass through my town of Ferrio to do so."  
  
"What did she steal?" Trista asked.  
  
"My most favoritest of favorite jewelries!" the little girl cried. "It was a pink heart with  
  
gold wings and a crown on top and pink crystal in the middle and a diamond inside!" They all  
  
blinked at the description. There could be no mistake. The little girl had just given a fairly  
  
accurate description of Rini's brooch!  
  
"That sounds like something that belongs to my daughter!" Darien said. "A little girl of  
  
nine with pink hair and red-brown eyes named Rini. Have you seen her?"  
  
"No, but if this is the girl I think you're talking about, then you owe me money as well!"  
  
the man stated. "The brooch was stolen, diamond and all, by a woman with blonde hair in pig  
  
tails and two buns to either side of her head..."  
  
"That's Serena!!" Mina screeched. "Do you know who she was with?!"  
  
"Of course," the man said. "Thernacius Farrium Rex, and his eldest boy, Georgio. Not  
  
only did she steal from me, she humiliated me as well. She will be made to return the trinket, pay  
  
for the damages against me as much as possible, and then I will throw her to the brothels!"  
  
"Yeah!!" the little girl agreed. At that point, Darien lost all sense of himself, and decked  
  
the man, hard! He looked up from the ground through a bloody nose and split lip at Darien, who  
  
stared back, anger filling his eyes as they had only one other time that Mina and Rei could  
  
remember...when he was under Beryl's control. Members of the crowd glanced at them, but  
  
decided to move along.  
  
"You touch her, and you won't live long enough to regret it!" Darien warned him.  
  
"How dare you," the man said, rising back up, equally incensed. "I am Terrarium  
  
Aurelius Querian! The wealthiest independent man in the southern provinces of Sicily! You shall  
  
be cast in irons...and thrown to the galleys for this!!"  
  
"Daddy?" the little girl cringed backward into the woman, who was presumably her  
  
mother.  
  
"NOT NOW, JULIA!!" Querian snapped, then turned back on Darien. "Oh, you shall  
  
pay! Yes, you shall..." He never finished. Darien decked him again, and lead the girls away.   
  
Querian rose again, now angrier than ever, and sporting an even bloodier nose and deeper split lip  
  
than before. "That man...as bad as his wife!! I'LL GET THEM BOTH!!!!" Julia and her mother  
  
just watched.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I bet you didn't expect to see _him_ again, did you?! And you probably don't want to see  
  
Eleutherios again, either, but you will! Next time, in Chapter 10: Conspiracies. See ya then!  
  
Want to shoot the breeze?! E-mail me at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	10. Chapter 10: Conspiracies

All are now in Rome, but can Rini and Lita be freed? And what of Damris and what she has  
  
learned by listening behind closed doors?! And with Querian back in the picture, even more  
  
threats are raised, and dark clouds hide on the horizon...  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 10: Conspiracies  
  
Just a short ways away, Darien and the girls stopped to take a deep breath of air. Rei  
  
stared at her Prince sternly.  
  
"Tell me, Darien, does the term 'Low Profile' mean nothing to you?" she asked.  
  
"I'm sorry," Darien said. "But when he said he was going to turn Serena into a...into a...a  
  
whore, I just lost it."  
  
"Um," Artemis said, looking at Diana, "so you know, a, uh, brothel is..."  
  
"A place where people, mostly men, solicit sexual activities, mostly from women," Diana  
  
finished, as though she were repeating a lesson. "The Future Venus explained it to me because...  
  
we...still have them in Crystal Tokyo..."  
  
"World's oldest profession, indeed," Darien muttered. "At least now we know where to  
  
look for Serena."  
  
"We know where she was, Darien, not where she is _right now_," Amara pointed out.  
  
"I know," a female voice said from nearby. They turned to see a woman with raven hair  
  
down her back with dark brown, nearly black eyes wearing a blue dress. With her was a ten year  
  
old girl with brunette hair as long as her mother's, and brown eyes wearing a simple red dress,  
  
and a boy of seven or eight with brown hair worn down to his chin, and his mother's eyes in a  
  
semi-fancy green toga.  
  
"Who are you?" Amara asked.  
  
"I am Vivian Sophia Rex," she introduced herself. "This is my daughter, Delia, and my  
  
younger son, Mikhail. And you are...Darien?"  
  
"Yes," Darien said. "How did you know?"  
  
"Serena told me," Vivian replied, smiling gently. "Your wife is with my husband."  
  
* * *  
  
It had been a few days, almost a week by her reckoning, and Lita had taken some time to  
  
think things over. Rini being flogged was a certain possibility, but being sexually violated, that  
  
was a stretch. She'd seen Lucius Verus, and he wasn't much older than Rini was, if at all! *No,  
  
that Cephiro guy was just saying that to get me riled up. But if Lucius is having her whipped,  
  
then I have to stop him, and I did sort of promise I would do it.* she thought. But the more she  
  
thought about it, the more she wanted to take it back.  
  
"Lita!" a voice called, and she turned to see Urian and Vassos walking over. They were  
  
having lunch at Theophilus's compound, waiting for their next trip to the Colosseum. She waved  
  
to her friends lightly.  
  
"Just thinking," she said calmly. "There's been a lot on my mind lately."  
  
"Your friend's girl, the slave of the Prince?" Urian asked as he and Vassos took a seat.  
  
"Among other things," Lita said. "Urian, do you think she's been flogged?"  
  
"Well, if she has done something disobedient enough to deserve it, perhaps," he answered.  
  
"But past that, I cannot honestly say."  
  
"Has the girl been known to be willful?" Vassos asked.  
  
"A little," Lita admitted. "But she does know how to mind her manners...most of the  
  
time. And she would definitely know enough not to push her luck while a slave! She's not  
  
stupid! Anything but!"  
  
"Then I doubt she has done anything to deserve it, unless of course she actually tried to  
  
escape," Vasso said, spooning some of the gruel they were having into his mouth. "Most slaves  
  
tend be flogged after such an act."  
  
"Hmm," Lita quietly had another bite herself. "If only I could see her up close, to see for  
  
myself if she's been whipped..."  
  
"Good luck," Urian grinned. "She's only the property of the Prince of Rome!"  
  
"Yeah," Lita answered. "I know."  
  
* * *  
  
Ami and Felicia were working away at cleaning the sheets, while Iosif tended the dishes in  
  
the kitchen. Ariadne and Hrisoula had gone to a neighbors to visit. It was Galea's turn to help at  
  
the stand with Serena and the men. Hotaru and Damris had been sent on an errand, and would be  
  
back shortly, she hoped. And Zacharias, oddly enough, had asked to stay and help her and Felicia  
  
with the sheets. He was on her left, scrubbing away with his little hands, and apparently actually  
  
enjoying himself.  
  
"So you didn't know Galea before you were taken prisoner by the slavers?" Ami asked.  
  
"Not really," Felicia replied. "I mean, I think we come from the same town, but we never  
  
really talked or anything. Then my father got really deep into debt with the gambling houses, and  
  
the next thing I knew they took everything to settle it, including me! Before I even really knew  
  
what was going on, I was sold to Barvus Cephiro, changed into a slave's toga, chained up, and  
  
tossed into a cage."  
  
"Man, that stinks," Ami said. "Enslaved just because your father has a gambling problem.   
  
That's harsh."  
  
"Yeah," Felicia agreed. "Anyway, before we left town, Galea was thrown in with me, and  
  
we've basically been together ever since. But Rini was the first to offer a ray of hope to any of us.   
  
But you know how that turned out in the end."  
  
"Don't remind me," Ami gritted her teeth.  
  
"I don' really 'member ever bein' free," Zacharias said. "I was a slave to Korudon long as  
  
I can 'members, til Damris came back and saved me, just like she promised."  
  
"Well, you're not a slave now, Zacharias," Ami said. "You're free to do whatever you  
  
wish."  
  
"And is Damris free?" the little boy asked earnestly.  
  
"Sure she is," Ami said. "I'm positive if she wanted to stop working for Hrisoula,  
  
Hrisoula would let her."  
  
"Really?" Zacharias looked at her with _really_ big eyes.  
  
"Of course!" Felicia agreed. "Lady Ariadne said that when Galea and I turn fifteen, we'll  
  
be free to go, if that's what we want."  
  
"Is it?" Ami glanced at her.  
  
"Well, I can't speak for Galea, but as for myself," Felicia replied, "Well, I don't really  
  
have anywhere else to go. My mom died of illness years ago, and I don't think there was  
  
anything left of my dad after the collection men came through. So I don't really know what I'm  
  
gonna do with my life once I'm free, not that I'm really a slave per se now."  
  
"Hmm," Ami lost herself in thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Hotaru and Damris carefully moved through the busy marketplace as they sought the  
  
source of their errand. They had been sent to purchase some statuary from a particular salesman,  
  
Marco Neralium, and been given enough money to make only the purchase, plus a little extra in  
  
case they got hungry while retrieving the desired statuary.  
  
So far, Hotaru, Ami, and Serena had brain pooled ideas, but short of a miracle in the form  
  
of Trista, they didn't see any forthcoming ways of springing Lita from the gladiator pits. As for  
  
Rini, Hotaru dearly wished she could get close enough to the palace to see her again, and maybe  
  
talk to her. But the day after they saw her with the Caesar and his family at the Colosseum,  
  
security at the palace had suddenly doubled, making the possibility even less than it had been  
  
beforehand.  
  
But for right now, Hotaru kept her mind on her errand. As she spotted the salesperson's  
  
cart, with, *shudder*, a young girl chained to it like a watch dog of some kind, a head passed  
  
through the crowd that Hotaru recognized. A head with light brown hair and sharp emerald eyes.  
  
Eyes that made Hotaru feel suddenly cold. And then the head was gone.  
  
"Something wrong, Hotaru?" Damris asked.  
  
"Huh?" Hotaru blinked. "Oh, sorry, I just thought I saw Eleutherios for a moment."  
  
"Eleutherios?" Damris blinked. "Seriously?"  
  
"It was probably just my imagination, that's all," Hotaru shrugged it off. "Let's get that  
  
statuary." They continued on their way through the rest of the crowd to the stand.  
  
And off in the distance, two sharp emerald eyes watched them, and formulated a simplistic  
  
plan. He hadn't forgotten his two lovely maidens, and now they had returned to him.  
  
Eleutherios simply grinned.  
  
* * *  
  
"Okay, here's the plan," Darien outlined. "Mina, you and Rei go to the Colosseum, see  
  
what you can find out about Lita, or her twin. Amara, you take Michelle and keep glancing  
  
around the area, see what you can find out. And Trista and I will go with Mrs. Vivian to find her  
  
husband, and Serena. We'll take the cats with us. We'll meet back together in front of the  
  
Colosseum at sundown."  
  
Vivian had told them about how she and her family had met Serena, and how Serena had  
  
gone with Thernacius and Georgio to Rome. When she mentioned that Georgio had become  
  
smitten with Serena, Darien had lightly glowered, but dismissed it. When he and Trista had asked  
  
about Rini, Vivian had become evasive, saying it would be best to let Serena tell them about that  
  
when they found her. Delia and Mikhail had become quickly enamored with Diana, and were  
  
playing with her and petting her lovingly.  
  
"Right," the others all agreed. They immediately split up as decided, Artemis and Luna  
  
hopping over to sit on Trista's shoulders. Vivian looked impressed by the cats agility, and how  
  
well they seemingly were trained. Delia quickly scooped up Diana, who purred merrily.  
  
"So," Darien asked her. "Which way do we go?"  
  
"This way, please," Vivian directed, and they followed her through the labyrinth streets  
  
and buildings until they came to one house in particular, made of white washed marble. Delia and  
  
Mikhail scooted up to the door and began knocking while Vivian calmly came up behind them  
  
with Darien and Trista.  
  
"This house belongs to my husband's mother and father," Vivian told them. "They were  
  
going to stay here while they took care of things, and help Serena."  
  
"Alright," Darien said, still wondering what she wasn't telling him. They waited a few  
  
moments, and then the door opened...and a little boy was on the other side.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked innocently.  
  
"More to the point, who are you, child, and where are my mother and father-in-law?"  
  
Vivian asked.  
  
"Who is it, Zacharias?" a female voice called from within the house, and a young woman  
  
stepped into view. A young woman Darien and Trista knew.  
  
"Hello, miss," Vivian said, but then noticed the girl's eyes were looking right past her.  
  
"Darien, Trista?" Ami blinked, seeming on the edge of tears.  
  
"Ami?" Darien and Trista replied. "You're okay!!"  
  
"Well, as good as can be expected," Ami said. "Given I'm technically a house slave."  
  
"Excuse me!" Vivian began to raise her voice. "But where is your master?"  
  
"My mistress, the Lady Hrisoula, is at a neighbor's with the lady of this house, Ariadne.   
  
Only I, Zacharias here, Isoif, also Hrisoula's, and Felicia, a slave of Ariadne's, are present right  
  
now," Ami answered. "And you are?"  
  
"Vivian Sophia Rex," Vivian noticeably calmed down again. "Tell me, where is my  
  
husband, eldest son, and father-in-law?"  
  
"They're running a food stand near the Colosseum, sixty meters from the main entrance  
  
along the west side," Ami said. "Serena's there, too, Darien. And Hotaru's also staying here  
  
with us, but she and Damris are out on an errand for Hrisoula." she added. Darien immediately  
  
turned around.  
  
"Trista, stay here and talk with Ami, learn what you can," he said. "I'm going to go see  
  
my wife."  
  
"I will join you," Vivian said, then turned to her children. "Wait here for our return, or  
  
your grandmother's, whichever comes first."  
  
"Yes, mother," they chorused, and went inside. They greeted Zacharias, and Trista came  
  
in, Ami closing the door. Iosif popped his head in to glance at the newest arrivals.  
  
"Ami? Who are..." he started.  
  
"Thernacius's other kids, his wife just went to see him," Ami indicated the children. "And  
  
this is Trista, a friend from my home town. Trista, this is Iosif, he's with me, Hotaru, Damris, and  
  
Hrisoula, as is Zacharias." Ami noted that the two kids had been carrying Diana, and were now  
  
playing with her in the sitting room along with Zacharias, but she noticed that Luna and Artemis  
  
had vanished from Trista's shoulders when she came in.  
  
"Hello miss, children," Iosif nodded, and went back into the kitchen. Felicia stuck her  
  
own head in, and the introductions went around a second time, and the slave girl returned to the  
  
laundry.  
  
"So, Ami, what exactly's been happening with you since you left home?" Trista asked.  
  
"It's a long story," Ami sighed. "Between getting bought by Hrisoula, Hotaru almost  
  
getting raped, and coming here and finding out what happened to Serena, Rini, and Lita, it's been  
  
something of a nightmare."  
  
"Wait, what do you mean, Hotaru almost got raped?" Trista's eyes widened in horror.   
  
Ami pulled her into a side room so they could be alone, and sat them both on the floor.  
  
"Okay," Ami said. "Better start from the top..."  
  
* * *  
  
Rei and Mina worked their way through the crowd carefully until they finally reached the  
  
Colosseum. Then they began working their way around the building looking for someone who  
  
looked like they worked there. They found a guard, and started asking questions.  
  
"A female gladiator named Lita?" he asked. "Yes, there is one, in Theophilus's camp.   
  
Lita the Magnificent. She took down five of Rome's best on her own about a week ago. As  
  
beautiful as she is deadly, she is!"  
  
"And where is this Theophilus's camp?" Rei asked.  
  
"That way," the guard pointed down along the Colosseum wall. "Why?"  
  
"Could you maybe write down some directions to the place?" Mina asked, holding up a  
  
piece of paper. The guard shrugged, and took the paper and stepped inside for a moment while  
  
they waited, another guard stepping out while the other was away, clearly spotting for the other  
  
guy. While they waited, they asked the second guard about the bout the so-called Lita had been  
  
in, and got more than a few gory details.  
  
Finally, the first guard returned and handed back the paper to Mina. The two girl's  
  
thanked him as politely as they could, and took off. Fortunately, direction words and place names  
  
were sufficiently understandable through all of the Latin for them to get by.  
  
"Let's see, first it says to go round to the northeast entrance to the Colosseum, the one  
  
facing the palace, and then to go directly east from the entrance," Mina said as she looked at the  
  
paper. They quickly and quietly followed along the Colosseum's wall 'til they found an entrance  
  
facing a large structure on a hill off in the distance. They turned and headed east.  
  
"Next," Mina said, again looking at the paper, "we walk up three streets, then turn north  
  
at the fourth, and follow it straight there!"  
  
"One...two...three...turn!" Rei said as she watched how many streets they passed as they  
  
moved through the crowd in this part of the city, and then they turned on the appropriate street.   
  
They walked forward quickly, and after several minutes, saw a small compound coming into sight,  
  
with three guards on the front gate.  
  
They walked up to the gate and approached one of the guards. He looked at them, with a  
  
glance that spoke lust.  
  
"Call girls, are you?" he said first. "We weren't told any were coming."  
  
"Actually we're looking for someone," Rei said, restraining her temper at being called a  
  
whore. "Is this the compound of Theophilus?"  
  
"Yeah," another guard said. "So, you lovely ladies here to give us lonely men some  
  
'entertainment'?"  
  
"No," Mina cut in. "We're here to see Lita!" The three guards looked at each other in  
  
surprise, then turned back.  
  
"You'll have to clear that with the boss," the first one said. "Come, I'll take you to him."   
  
With that, he led them through the gates into the compound, and round to the small house. As  
  
they looked around them, they saw several gladiators training for impending matches. But they  
  
didn't see anyone who looked like Lita.  
  
The guard led them into the house, and up to the second floor, and to a bedroom with a  
  
nice window with a view of the city, most notably the Colosseum.  
  
And sitting at a desk, writing on some parchment, was the same old man they'd seen at  
  
the fountain carried in a chair. Now that they thought about it, the other aged man he was with at  
  
the time did call him Theophilus. Mina began glancing around at the rich decor of the room while  
  
Rei focused on the gladiator-owner.  
  
"Yes?" Theophilus asked, looking up.  
  
"These girls wish to see Lita, sir," the guard said. Theophilus stared at them for a  
  
moment, then waved the guard away.  
  
"Return to your duties," he said.  
  
"Yes, sir," the guard replied, and exited the room. Theophilus began writing again.  
  
"Why do you wish to see my Lita?" he asked.  
  
"Well, sir, you see, we think she might be a friend of ours," Rei started. "We'd like to  
  
meet her so we can either confirm or deny this."  
  
"I see," Theophilus said. "And why should I allow this? Of what difference would it  
  
make if she is the friend you seek."  
  
"If she is, we would like her released to us," Rei said. "If not, we'll go peacefully..."  
  
"Rei, LOOK!" Mina snapped, grabbing her head and turning it to look at a small display  
  
table in one corner. Rei gasped at what she saw set up on it in a glass case: Lita's Wand.   
  
Theophilus gave only a brief glance at what they were looking at, and then returned once more to  
  
his papers.  
  
"Now we know it's our Lita!" Mina stated, then turned to Theophilus. "But why do you  
  
have that?!"  
  
"I purchased it from Petros, the man I bought my dear Lita from," Theophilus answered.   
  
"Now that you know what you wanted, you can leave."  
  
"Please, turn Lita over to us," Rei pleaded. "She can't be of any real use to you!"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Theophilus looked up at her again fully. "Lita is my best gladiator!   
  
She has yet to be defeated in the arena, and I will not release her for the world!" Rei and Mina  
  
stared at him for a moment, thinking.  
  
"We'll pay for her!" Rei said, and Mina felt her pupils shrink into pinpoints. How were  
  
they supposed to do that without any money?!  
  
"Oh?" Theophilus went back to his papers. "With what?" To Mina's shock, Rei brought  
  
out her wand and walked over to the man, holding it out at arm's reach to him.  
  
"I'll give you this, easily worth a small fortune," she said. *Provided you believe that's a  
  
really big Ruby!* Theophilus looked up at her offering, and froze. Mina thought it over, took a  
  
deep breath and took out her own wand, moving forward and offering it in the same way.  
  
"You can have mine, too," she said. "They must be worth, like, a thousand gold coins a  
  
piece! Please let her go." Theophilus stared at the two wands, almost transfixed, then finally  
  
recovered his aged voice.  
  
"SEMON!" he called, and in moments the servant that had been with him at the fountain  
  
came in. "Bring me the bauble," Theophilus instructed, pointing toward Lita's wand, and Semon  
  
took it from its case and brought it over. Theophilus took Mina and Rei's wands, and then Lita's  
  
from Semon, and compared the three.  
  
"Identical," he said. "Almost completely identical. An Emerald, a Ruby, and a Topaz.   
  
The sigils of the king of the gods, the war god, and the love goddess. How very interesting.   
  
Very interesting indeed." He then handed the Jupiter wand back to Semon, who returned it to its  
  
display case, and the Mars and Venus wands to Rei and Mina.  
  
"Keep your baubles," Theophilus said, "Unless you intend to trade them for money or  
  
food. Lita is not for sale at any price."  
  
"But..." Rei started. She never got to finish.  
  
"Semon, please show these women out," Theophilus said, and once again buried himself in  
  
his work. Semon did as instructed, and hustled the two girls out of the room, the house, and  
  
finally the front gate to the compound. All they could do about it was fume.  
  
"We've been brushed off!" Mina grumbled as they began to head back toward the  
  
Colosseum to be in position for their rendevous. "And we even offered that man the power of the  
  
gods!"  
  
"Poor Lita," Rei's voice was quiet. "I hope she's okay."  
  
"Yeah," Mina agreed, just as soft. "Me too."  
  
* * *  
  
Lita glanced up as Semon pushed someone out of the front gate. No, two someones.   
  
Someones who looked _very_ familiar! Before she could get a better look, she heard a wooden  
  
sword swinging in her direction, and she snapped back to the practice sessions and blocked the  
  
incoming blade with her own.  
  
"Stay focused, Lita!" Urian said. "Do you want to win your freedom or don't you?!"   
  
Lita quickly disarmed her opponent, and knocked him to the ground, then turned back to the gate,  
  
but now the two someones were gone.  
  
"I could have sworn..." Lita said to herself, then shook her head dejectedly. "Ah, what  
  
would Rei and Mina be doing here, anyway?"  
  
* * *  
  
In his private rooms, Theophilus continued his writing, then looked up at Lita's wand on  
  
the other side of the room. He stared at it for a moment.  
  
"'To me, it is power,' she said," he commented to himself. "I wonder..."  
  
* * *  
  
Trista looked almost mortified when Ami finished her story, bringing the Time Senshi all  
  
the way up to when she and Hotaru had arrived in Rome and found Serena. Trista looked much  
  
like Serena and Lita had...wanting to find and eviscerate Eleutherios! No, eviscerate was being  
  
too kind. Dismembered and eviscerated, that would be a suitable fate. *But we won't,* Ami  
  
thought to herself as she stared at Trista. *We are Sailor Soldiers, Scouts of Love and Justice.   
  
We will not sink to that man's level over a personal grudge. We're better than that!*  
  
"And he hasn't been seen since his attempt on Hotaru's innocence?" Trista finally  
  
breathed. "This Eleutherios?"  
  
"Nope," Ami said. "Not unless someone's picked him up and is waiting back in Tercham  
  
for the bounty."  
  
"Damn," Trista actually swore, a rarity for her. "Well, he gets his in the end, we know  
  
that much. I just wish we could somehow find out how."  
  
"It doesn't matter, Trista," Ami said. "He failed, Hotaru's innocence is still safe for the  
  
one she comes to love, whoever that may be, and we're better than him. We have to be!"  
  
"Yes, I know," Trista sighed. "The thought just makes me so...so mad! I love Hotaru,  
  
she's like a daughter to me. The thought that someone tried to...tried to...I'm sorry..."  
  
"Don't be," Ami said. "Frankly, right after I stopped him, _I_ wanted to kill him, too!   
  
But I restrained my bloodlust, and put my focus where it was needed, on Hotaru's welfare."  
  
"And you made the right choice, the choice I would have made, I hope," Trista agreed.   
  
"Now, you said you went to meet Serena at her stand?"  
  
"Yeah," a small voice said, and they turned to see Diana watching them intently.   
  
Apparently the three children had found something else to amuse themselves with. "Where's  
  
Rini? Is she okay?"  
  
"Um..." Ami stammered. "Diana...I don't think you're ready for this part." Diana  
  
scampered forward and hopped into Ami's lap.  
  
"Please, Ami!" Diana said, her eyes full of seriousness. "What happened to Rini?!"  
  
"Ami, please tell us," Trista said, her own eyes filling with fear at Ami's own comment.   
  
Ami looked at each of them for a moment, then sighed.  
  
"Okay..." she said. "You asked for it."  
  
* * *  
  
Amara and Michelle carefully moved through the crowd, stopping at various stands to try  
  
and gain more information about Lita, Ami, and Hotaru. They were still getting nowhere, and  
  
they were beginning to think it might be time to give up and return to the Colosseum for their  
  
rendevous, when Michelle suddenly pulled on her chain.  
  
"Amara, look!" she said pointing through the crowd to a cart marked "Marco's Statuary  
  
Station!" The first thing that Amara noted was a slightly greasy man at the cart with dirty red hair  
  
all over his head working the crowd around him. The second thing was a quiet, almost destitute  
  
little girl with blonde hair chained to the cart like a wild animal. Amara wasn't interested after  
  
that.  
  
"Just a guy selling his wares and mistreating his slave," she said. "Come on, Michelle, let's  
  
keep going."  
  
"But look who's going up to _buy_ his wares!" Michelle said, and Amara begrudgingly  
  
looked back...and noticed a young girl with short black hair next to another, slightly younger, girl  
  
with long gray black hair in a braid. Ignoring the second girl for the moment, Amara looked  
  
pointedly at the raven head. Yes, it could be...  
  
"Do think it's her?" Michelle asked. "Hotaru?"  
  
"Could be," Amara agreed. She didn't really want to go near that stand, but if that was  
  
Hotaru, then she would. "Lets' try and get a closer look."  
  
As they moved closer, the crowd started to get pushy with a few salesmen trying to hock  
  
their wares...and a few others trying to get Amara to sell them Michelle. They studiously ignored  
  
them til they started to block their path, and then Amara saw a light brown-haired man coming up  
  
behind the two girls they were trying to reach as they paid for some statuary from that Marco guy,  
  
which almost made Amara think it wasn't Hotaru.  
  
*Where would Hotaru get that much Roman change, unless she's been...don't even think  
  
that, girl!!* And then the man reached forward and grabbed the two girls, and their shrieks of  
  
panic ended all inner discussions.  
  
She was seeing a kidnapping!  
  
* * *  
  
Rini walked through the palace on her way to the kitchen with Salina, the two carrying the  
  
used dishes from lunch as they'd been told to help with the cleaning while Lucius was studying.   
  
Ever since Pherinias had tried to kill them, things had gotten tense around the palace. No, things  
  
were tense before, now it was just more pronounced.  
  
As they reached the kitchen and put the dishes with the others to be cleaned and set to  
  
work, they heard another servant/slave talking...about the Emperor!  
  
"He's obsessed!" she said. "I don't think he's thought of anything but that Spaniard since  
  
he first appeared in the arena. I tell you, nothing good can come of this."  
  
"Not our problem," another servant replied. "So long as we keep our necks, he can  
  
obsess with whatever he wants. Besides, if you want to really worry about the Caesar, worry  
  
about the fact that _I_ heard him saying he was going to announce the dissolution of the Senate!   
  
He would have done it, too, if he hadn't gotten distracted by the Spaniard!"  
  
"Maybe we should visit Proximo's compound and thank General Maximus," the first  
  
servant joked.  
  
"Except I've heard Caesar Commodus still intends to do it, just as soon as he can find a  
  
way to see the General dead!" yet another servant commented.  
  
"How far do you think Caesar will go?" Rini asked as she scrubbed a plate. The others  
  
glanced at her.  
  
"You're that slave of Lucius's, aren't you, the one said to have naturally pink hair?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me," Rini sighed. "Now about my question?"  
  
"How far he'll go?" the second servant said. "With Commodus, who knows."  
  
"Maybe he'll challenge Maximus himself," a fourth servant suggested.  
  
"I don't think he's _that_ obsessed!" Rini said. "Though he might be that crazy."  
  
"Well, come what may, I hope we don't get caught in the middle of it," the third servant  
  
commented.  
  
"I've heard the Caesar's having all the Senators followed," someone else said. "Think  
  
he's planning to have them all killed?" Rini's mind shot to Senator Gracchus, who seemed so  
  
kind, like a grandfather almost.  
  
"I don't think the people would stand for it," Rini said. "They'd probably storm the  
  
palace, and then there's no _way_ we wouldn't get caught in the path!" Everyone stared at her  
  
for a few moments.  
  
"You have a very morbid view of the world, child," one servant said. "You might want to  
  
rethink that reasoning."  
  
"Gee, a slave, morbid?" Rini replied. "I think I'm entitled to a little morbidity, don't  
  
you?"  
  
"Rini, you don't really think the people will storm the palace, do you?" Salina finally  
  
spoke for the first time since they'd left Lucius's quarters.  
  
"If Caesar Commodus pisses them off enough," Rini said, "Anything's possible."  
  
* * *  
  
Darien worked his way through the crowd, finding the main entrance to the Colosseum  
  
handily. He then turned left, to the west, and began moving through the crowd once more.   
  
*Let's see, sixty meters, that's not too far, I think,* he thought to himself.  
  
Darien continued to work his way through the square, avoiding the myriad number of  
  
people coming and going from the latest games in the giant arena, or moving around among the  
  
many stands, both food and otherwise.  
  
It took several minutes, but he finally spotted a food stand in the approximate location of  
  
his intended destination. An elderly man, a middle-aged man, and a boy of about fifteen or sixteen  
  
were working it, which matched Ami's statement, but at first the only female he could see there  
  
was a young girl of about Rini's age or so, but with dark raven hair. He then felt something furry  
  
near his feet, and glanced down to see Luna and Artemis at his heals. He bent down to them to  
  
speak quietly.  
  
"Think that's the place?" he asked.  
  
"Maybe," Artemis whispered. "I think I smell Serena close by, but I'm not sure."  
  
"I am," Luna said. "I'd know her scent anywhere!" And with that, Luna dashed forward  
  
to the cart.  
  
* * *  
  
Serena cooked as fast as she could, preparing meal after meal. It was being a really good  
  
day that day, and with luck, by the time they closed up shop for the night, she would be only two  
  
to three hundred coins away from being able to buy back Rini! Yes, going to see Lita had set her  
  
back, but only by a couple of days at best, by her reckoning. *Soon, Rini,* she thought to herself,  
  
*Soon!*  
  
"Meow," a small cat roweled from nearby. For a moment Serena ignored the sound as  
  
probably belonging to a stray looking for scraps, until Georgio spoke up.  
  
"Hello, kitty," he said. "Aren't you a pretty little thing. What meanie shaved your head  
  
like that? Like a little crescent moon? Who did that?" Serena dropped the utensils she was using  
  
and snapped around, shoving Georgio and Thernacius aside to see the familiar black female feline  
  
sitting atop the stand's counter as Tatius and Galea turned to look at her.  
  
"LUNA!" Serena cried as she scooped her cat into her arms. "How'd you get to Rome,  
  
my precious little pet? Did you follow me here?"  
  
"Meow!" Luna replied in cat, and then another meow grabbed her attention. She looked  
  
down to see the matching white Tom cat hop to the counter top.  
  
"Artemis!" Serena felt herself fill with utmost glee, then looking back to Luna. "You  
  
brought your boyfriend with you!"  
  
"Not just hers," a familiar male voice said, and Serena looked up, scarcely believing her  
  
own ears. There, standing before her outside the cart, dressed in a Roman armor dress complete  
  
with a sheathed sword at his hip, was Darien. "Hey, babe," he said.  
  
"Darien..." Serena felt herself sob as she stared at him, Luna hopping out of her arms back  
  
onto the counter.  
  
"Darien?" Tatius blinked. "Your husband?"  
  
"What?" Georgio felt himself grow cold. "But he's supposed to be dead and rotting in  
  
Germania! Isn't he?!"  
  
"Oh, Darien!" Serena cried, and threw her arms around him in a tight hug, which was  
  
quickly returned.  
  
"It's alright, I'm here now," he said. "Everything's going to be all right."  
  
"You'll find someone else, Georgio," Thernacius said.  
  
"Yes, there'll be someone else," a female voice said, and they turned to see Vivian leaning  
  
lightly on the cart. "Your husband moves very quickly," she commented to Serena as she took in  
  
some deep breaths.  
  
"Vivian?" Thernacius blinked. "What are you..."  
  
"I got worried, so I took the first caravan to Rome to find out what was keeping you and  
  
Georgio," she said. "And I wanted to know how Serena was faring."  
  
"But I wrote letters," Thernacius said. "We both did."  
  
"Told you the mail service stinks," Serena muttered. While they'd been talking, Georgio  
  
was staring at Darien, anger filling his eyes...and a pinch of jealousy.  
  
"There'll never be another girl as good as Serena, never," he quietly fumed, then snapped  
  
at Darien, "I challenge you to single combat for the lady's hand!"  
  
"What?" Darien glanced at him, and so did Luna and Artemis.  
  
"He has a crush on me, ignore him," Serena said, still shedding tears onto Darien's  
  
armored chest. She'd yet to let him go since she'd thrown herself on him. And her comment  
  
smashed down Georgio harder than any weapon ever could have. He quietly sank to the ground,  
  
defeated.  
  
"So where are Delia and Mikhail?" Tatius jumped in. "You didn't leave them behind now,  
  
did you?"  
  
"No, I brought them with me, they are at your house with the slave girl and her son,"  
  
Vivian said.  
  
"Ami doesn't have a son," Darien said. *Unless she's been here a _lot_ longer than we  
  
thought!*  
  
"But Zacharias..." Vivian started.  
  
"Is a ward of the Lady Hrisoula, and nothing more," Thernacius explained. "We'll fill you  
  
in later, sweetheart." At that point, Darien glanced around the cart, but couldn't see who he was  
  
looking for.  
  
"Uh, Serena," he said slowly. "I only see one little girl here, and I'm pretty sure that she's  
  
not Rini, unless she decided to dye her hair."  
  
"No, I'm Galea, sir. I belong to Ariadne and Tatius," the girl replied, briefly glancing at  
  
him. Serena felt a whole new choke coming on as she looked up into Darien's eyes.  
  
"She's...not here," Serena said, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
"Then where is she?" Darien asked. "Mrs. Vivian said you should be the one to tell me.   
  
What happened to her?"  
  
"Darien, I..." Serena felt herself choke up solid. "I...I LOST HER!" She collapsed into  
  
his chest again, crying her eyes out.  
  
"What?!" Darien exclaimed. "Serena, what do you mean?"  
  
"I lost her!" Serena repeated, then said between sobs, "Darien...oh, god...Darien...our  
  
baby...our baby's been enslaved!" Darien's face went pale.  
  
"No..." he gasped.  
  
* * *  
  
Ami had finished telling Trista and Diana what she knew of Rini's unfortunate fate,  
  
concluding with what they'd learned from Barvus Cephiro only a week prior, and was watching  
  
the two carefully. Diana was currently weeping in her lap, quietly bawling that she was a flop as a  
  
guardian to Rini for allowing this to happen on her watch. Trista, in the meantime, had apparently  
  
decided to completely clock out. She was stiff as a rock.  
  
They sat there for Ami wasn't sure how long, and finally Ami reached forward and tapped  
  
the time senshi lightly on the shoulder to see how out of it she was. For a moment, Trista still  
  
didn't respond, though her eyes were blinking.  
  
"I'm a total failure!" Diana quietly berated herself. "My brother was right, I'm no  
  
guardian, I'm nothin' but a worthless little runt!"  
  
"DIANA, SHUT UP!!!" Trista suddenly snapped. "That's not helping anything!! Now  
  
killing this Barvus Cephiro slowly and painfully, that'll help!!"  
  
"Trista!! Contain yourself!!" Ami snapped back. "Do I have to remind you who you are?  
  
What your duty is?!"  
  
"And what about yours? Isn't it your duty to destroy all enemies of the royal family,  
  
foreign _and domestic_?!" Trista rebounded on her. "I think Barvus Cephiro qualifies!"  
  
"I think he's a man doing what his life experience has dictated he should do to survive!"  
  
Ami retorted. "This whole damn Empire was basically _built_ on slave labor, in case you forgot!   
  
He's a product of his time and rearing, nothing more! Okay, he's an asshole, but he's still a  
  
product of his time!"  
  
Trista stared at Ami after her frank use of expletives for several long moments before  
  
finally replying once more. *I don't think I, or anyone else for that matter, have _ever_ heard  
  
Ami swear like that before!* she thought to herself briefly.  
  
"Alright, then, how about this?" Trista countered. "He chained up _our_ Princess like she  
  
was...like she was...a piece of meat at the supermarket! And he physically _abused_ her! Now  
  
does he count?"  
  
"And most slaves now and up to the mid-nineteenth century American ones were!" Ami  
  
replied. "You're the guardian of the friggin' Time Gate, Trista! You of all people should know  
  
that!!" Again, Trista was taken back by Ami's use of profanity.  
  
"Since when were you so good at swearing?" she finally asked.  
  
"Amara was a good teacher!" Ami stated. "Now back off on Barvus Cephiro's case.   
  
Once he sold Rini off to the Prince of Rome, he was out of the loop, he doesn't matter anymore!   
  
What matters is being able to get back Rini!" Trista gritted her teeth soundly as she realized that  
  
Ami was, unfortunately, absolutely correct.  
  
"I'll turn my resignation in to the Queen as soon as we get home," Diana continued to  
  
berate herself. "I don't deserve to be Rini's guardian anymore."  
  
"Diana, it wasn't your fault," Ami rocked the poor distraught kitten in her arms like a  
  
newborn babe. "The only one who's fault it is for Rini getting enslaved and flogged is Barvus  
  
Cephiro's. No one else's."  
  
"But...but I'm s'posed to protect her," Diana looked up at Ami with tear streaked eyes.   
  
"An' I failed."  
  
"In that," Trista said quietly, "We _all_ failed, Diana..."  
  
* * *  
  
Eleutherios had worked his way to Rome slowly over the past several weeks, not really  
  
expecting to be able to go home ever again. No doubt Hotaru had accused him of being too frank  
  
since he was interrupted by someone before he could please the girl as she desired to be pleased,  
  
and Hrisoula would have put a price on his head. In fact, he had already dodged two bounty hunters,  
  
barely!  
  
Also, Damris would have gotten back by now, no doubt, and revealed _their_  
  
arrangement as well. Providing, of course, she hadn't been killed while attempting to reacquire  
  
her lost brother.  
  
But that was the past, and Eleutherios now had a way to create a new start for himself  
  
here in Rome. He was pretty good at calling the outcome of a fight, and figured he would do well  
  
betting on the remaining series of gladiatorial games in the Colosseum, enough to get him on his  
  
feet until he could properly support himself with his artwork, anyway.  
  
As he worked his way through the crowd towards the Colosseum, he decided to take a  
  
back way around and visit his old friend Marco, the sculptor. Marco had been the one to  
  
introduce him to the world of art several years ago, and he could use a friend right then.   
  
Especially now that he was on his own.  
  
And just as he saw the cart come into view, he spotted two girls he hadn't expected to  
  
ever see again. The short black hair and beautiful violet eyes. The gray black hair in the beautiful  
  
long braid and shy hazel eyes. It was them. Hotaru and Damris. Clearly they had decided to run  
  
away and strike out on their own, as no chains or other members of Hrisoula's household, namely  
  
his brother and the woman, Ami, were in evidence. Also, either Damris had failed to retrieve her  
  
brother, or she and Hotaru currently had him stashed somewhere 'safe'.  
  
No matter. They were here.  
  
He quickly moved around through the crowd before they could see him, and watched as  
  
they approached Marco's cart. They were as beautiful as he remembered them. Yes, only when a  
  
girl was first blossoming into a woman was she the most beautiful, and he knew they must still  
  
have wanted him, for the gods themselves must have guided them here to him.  
  
He began moving carefully through the large crowd to reach the cart and his two lovely  
  
maidens, who were waiting to finally join him in his bed as they desired. He began to work his  
  
way closer and closer, and noticed that they had begun haggling with Marco over some statues on  
  
his cart, Hotaru pointedly ignoring the slave girl chained to the cart. *Odd, he must have bought  
  
her recently,* he thought. The crowd was so thick here it was taking seemingly forever to get to  
  
the cart himself.  
  
They were still haggling when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that he  
  
thought was a mistake. For a moment, he glanced fully over, and saw a short haired blonde man  
  
with a woman slave on a chain. What stood out about the two as they stopped at a stand and  
  
apparently bargained for information of some kind, was that the woman's hair, though only  
  
shoulder length, was a remarkable sea-blue color. He then shrugged it off as a dye job. Some  
  
people could be so weird with their possessions.  
  
After a few more moments he was up to the cart, and Marco glanced up at him as he  
  
accepted the money Hotaru had paid him for the statuary.  
  
"Eleutherios!" he said jovially. "It's been a long time! How are you?" Hotaru and  
  
Damris snapped their heads around to stare at him, shock and fear filling their faces.  
  
"Same as always, old friend," Eleutherios said, and grabbed Damris and Hotaru each by  
  
the arm. "Just making sure my wives here weren't in any trouble." But then something happened  
  
that Eleutherios never expected. Damris and Hotaru screamed loudly and tried to get away from  
  
him, and even tried to kick him!  
  
"Wives? You got married? Isn't two at once a little overzealous?" Marco asked.  
  
"Calm down, sweeties, calm down," he coached them, feeling a little nervous and  
  
embarrassed at their behavior before the crowd, then to Marcos, commented, "Not at all, we all  
  
love each other, and Damris and Hotaru are hardly the jealous types." Instead of calming down,  
  
though, they began fighting even fiercer than beforehand. He found himself actually struggling to  
  
try and hold onto them.  
  
"Help!!!" Hotaru screamed at the top of her voice. "Someone help us, please!!"   
  
Eleutherios reddened. She was still playing hard to get?!  
  
"Enough teasing, Hotaru!" he seethed. "You know you both want me, and I intend to  
  
please." Hotaru looked up at him, and he could see the burning desire in her eyes to have him, to  
  
give herself to...  
  
**THUNK!!!**  
  
He stared down, shock and horror filling his mind.  
  
A small, gold colored, now slightly dripping with blood, blade tip was sticking through his  
  
chest, right through the middle. He glanced over his shoulder, to find himself staring at the  
  
blonde man, the one with the sea-blue haired slave woman, staring back at him, anger filling his  
  
face.  
  
"See you in hell," he breathed, but it...wasn't...a woman's...voice...this...shouldn't...  
  
couldn't...be...happenin...............  
  
* * *  
  
Hotaru stared as Eleutherios fell down, dead at last. Had he really believed she and  
  
Damris had..._wanted_ him?! No matter, it was moot now.  
  
It was ironic. This time she had actually been in a position where she could have pulled  
  
out her wand, could have stopped him herself without even trying, yet she still couldn't because  
  
of the crowd. The moment she transformed in front of that many she would have sealed herself a  
  
date with a bonfire via stake!  
  
And then deliverance had come, in the form of a very sharp blade. She stared at the fallen  
  
body for a moment, not sure what to think anymore. Then a voice brought her out of her reverie.   
  
A very familiar voice.  
  
"Hey, kid, you okay?" a feminine, yet slightly masculine, voice asked, and she snapped up  
  
her head to see Amara cleaning off her Uranus Space Sword and wearing a Roman toga. Beside  
  
her was Michelle, wearing a Roman dress...and a collar and chain?!  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright," Michelle said, eyes brimming with tears. "We were so  
  
worried!"  
  
"The moment you screamed, we recognized your voice," Amara added. "Though I must  
  
admit, I never realized you could scream quite so loud."  
  
"Amara! Michelle!" Hotaru finally found her voice, and jumped up into their arms, which  
  
graciously wrapped around her in return.  
  
"Hotaru, you know these people?" Damris asked. Hotaru pulled away from her surrogate  
  
parents, her eyes filled with happy, relieved tears, and turned to her Roman friend.  
  
"Damris, this is Amara and Michelle, friends of my family," she introduced them. "Amara,  
  
Michelle, this is Damris, she's with the people Ami and I've been staying with. Michelle, what's  
  
with the leash?"  
  
"Now, Hotaru, you know perfectly well that I'm Amara's faithful and ever present pet,"  
  
Michelle said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world as Amara sheathed her blade.   
  
Hotaru stared for a moment, then dropped it.  
  
"So," Amara said. "Ready to blow this town?"  
  
"Uh, that would be a lot simpler if I wasn't currently a house slave," Hotaru chuckled  
  
nervously. Then her eyes beamed widely. "The statuary, I almost forgot! C'mon, Damris, we  
  
gotta get it back to the house, pronto!" She then turned around and picked up half the purchase  
  
she and Damris had just made, while Damris hopped forward and grabbed the other half.  
  
"Nice doing business with you!" they chimed to Marco, who was still staring in shock at  
  
the death of his old friend. Just then, a group of six guards came up, and the crowd quickly  
  
started to disperse.  
  
"What happened here?" one asked.  
  
"He tried to kidnap us to rape us," Hotaru said immediately. "This valiant woman saved  
  
us. And he had a bounty on him, anyway. Just ask the authorities in Tercham."  
  
"That so?" the head guard asked.  
  
"Yes, I slew only in self defense of my friend here, and to get the bounty," Amara admitted,  
  
and hoped they could go on their way quickly. "Wait...rape you?!"  
  
"Well, until we can get confirmation of the bounty, you'll have to come with us, please,"  
  
the chief guard signaled his men. "You can bring your slave."  
  
"Wait!" Hotaru cried, and put down the statuary in her arms to dig through her pockets,  
  
pulling out a copy of Hrisoula's slave identification papers. "This says I am a slave of the Lady  
  
Hrisoula of Tercham, who herself put the bounty on Eleutherios's head after he tried to rape me  
  
and ran off. _She_ will verify it!" The guard looked at it before he answered.  
  
"Bring your mistress to me at the holding cell area, she can verify it there. Until then, the  
  
woman and her slave remain with us. If I am not satisfied with her verification, they will be  
  
charged with murder and thrown to the Colosseum with the next batch of Christians as punishment. You two,  
  
bring the body for disposal."  
  
With that, the guards led Amara and Michelle away, one taking possession of the Uranus  
  
Sword, while two collected the body of Eleutherios. Hotaru stowed her ID papers, and picked up  
  
her half of the statuary. As she did so, she saw a sack dropped near where the body had fallen,  
  
and scooped it up, taking only a brief look inside to confirm the contents as Eleutherios's  
  
belongings.  
  
As she and Damris made all haste to get back to Tatius and Ariadne's house to fetch  
  
Hrisoula, Hotaru felt herself enter a new conflict.  
  
She honestly didn't know whether she wanted to keep Eleutherios's pictures of her or  
  
burn them.  
  
* * *  
  
Rei and Mina leaned against the Colosseum wall as they waited for the others to come  
  
back for the rendevous. As they watched people come and go, and listened to the roaring cheers  
  
of the crowd within the gigantic arena, they felt themselves grow increasingly bored.  
  
"One thing's for sure," Mina said. "The other's have _got_ to be doing better than us!"  
  
"You said it," Rei agreed.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
One step closer, two steps back! And more clouds are about to appear... Be here for Chapter 11:  
  
Crises.  
  
Want to talk? E-mail me at Scorpinac@sa-tech.com! 


	11. Chapter 11: Crises

All are now in Rome, yet Rini and Lita remain enslaved. The clouds grow closer as the final  
  
move draws nearer...  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 11: Crises  
  
Ami had returned to her duties with Felicia and Iosif in the kitchen, and Trista had gone to  
  
wait with Diana in the sitting room for Darien's return to go and meet the others for their  
  
rendevous, the Rex children and Zacharias again playing with the kitten. The real problem before  
  
the group was figuring out where everyone was going to stay now. There was barely enough  
  
room in the house for her, Felicia, Galea, the four Rex's, Hotaru, Hrisoula, Iosif, Damris,  
  
Zacharias, and Serena as was. If she squeezed in with Hotaru and Damris, they might be able to  
  
accommodate Darien, and the three cats would be no problem at all, they could sleep wherever  
  
they felt comfortable. Mrs. Rex would probably sleep with her husband, and their younger  
  
children could be squeezed in with Georgio if necessary.  
  
But Amara, Michelle, Mina, Rei, and Trista were another matter. There simply wouldn't  
  
be any room at all for them, and they had no money with which to pay for a hotel or other  
  
lodgings nearby. What were they to do? Hopefully they could think of _something_ before it got  
  
too late, but what?  
  
Just then, she heard the doors opening, and poked her head out of the kitchen to see  
  
Hotaru and Damris come in somewhat hurriedly with the statuary they'd been sent to buy. Ami  
  
also noted, somewhat puzzled, that Hotaru carried an additional bag with the money bag she'd  
  
carried out with her. Hotaru and Damris went into a storage area and put the statuary in a corner  
  
for safe keeping, then Hotaru ran upstairs to the room she currently shared with Damris to drop  
  
off her suddenly acquired added bag, then came back down to her and the others.  
  
By this point Damris was looking a little fidgety, and Trista and the three children had  
  
emerged from the sitting room to see what was up, Zacharias holding Diana with his little hands  
  
under her forelegs, Diana looking mildly uncomfortable. Hotaru looked right past them and  
  
aimed right to Ami, a look a franticness in her eyes.  
  
"Ami, where's Hrisoula?" she asked earnestly.  
  
"Still at Noula's with Ariadne," she said. "Why?"  
  
"I ran into Amara and Michelle while getting the statuary...they've been arrested!" Hotaru  
  
explained quickly, then turned on Felicia. "Do you know where Noula's is?!"  
  
"No, I never asked," Felicia said honestly. "Who are Amara and Michelle?"  
  
"My sister and her 'pet'," Trista said quickly, and Hotaru turned around to see her and  
  
fully recognize her for the first time.  
  
"Trista?" she gasped, and Ami laid a hand on her shoulder before she could lunge once  
  
more into her surrogate parent's arms.  
  
"Hotaru, why were Trista's sister and slave arrested?" Ami asked.  
  
"No time, I have to find Hrisoula!" Hotaru rounded.  
  
"What for?" an older female voice said behind them, and they turned to see Hrisoula and  
  
Ariadne entering. "I trust you got Hrisoula her statuary," Ariadne added.  
  
"Yes, it's in the storage room," Damris said.  
  
"Eleutherios found his way to Rome and jumped us just as we finished the purchase,"  
  
Hotaru rambled out. "Two family friends of ours, Amara and Michelle, stopped him, and now  
  
they've been arrested! I need you to verify that Eleutherios had a price on his head in order to  
  
corroborate that they were acting in self defense of others to get them out before they're tossed to  
  
the lions! Please, Hrisoula!"  
  
Hrisoula looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered:  
  
"We'll go just as soon as someone tells us who those three are." She was indicating  
  
Delia, Mikhail, and Trista.  
  
"Why, these are Georgio's sister, Delia, and brother, Mikhail," Ariadne identified the  
  
children as they came up to hug their grandmother. "The woman I don't know."  
  
"My name is Trista, Amara's elder sister, and I arrived in Rome earlier today with them  
  
and Serena's husband, Darien, and met up with these two delightful children and your daughter-  
  
in-law, Vivian, who came to find your son. Since she told us Serena could be found with him,  
  
Darien and I followed her here while Amara and Michelle continued to look around. We were to  
  
meet with them at sundown near the Colosseum," Trista explained herself. "The cat is ours, I'm  
  
just letting the children play with her," she added, nodding to Diana.  
  
"I see, so Darien has survived the war. My grandson won't be happy with that," Ariadne  
  
mused calmly. "He was hoping to claim Serena's hand as his own when the news of his demise  
  
arrived."  
  
"Yes, so Ami was kind enough to tell me," Trista smiled, trying not to flinch at the  
  
reminder of the young boy's romantic interest in the Princess. Trista hated to admit it, in fact she  
  
never really had, but part of her wanted Darien for herself, and would have smiled at the  
  
opportunity had Georgio won Serena's heart. This, of course, was on the off chance that Darien  
  
_didn't_ kill Georgio for trespassing on "private property".  
  
"Very well, let us go and collect your sister," Hrisoula said to Trista, then nodded to  
  
Hotaru, "Come, Hotaru, I imagine we'll need a witness." With that, Hrisoula, Trista, and Hotaru  
  
headed out to rescue Amara and Michelle. Ariadne then asked where Vivian and Darien currently  
  
were, and Ami filled them in, and the elderly woman went into the sitting room to be with her  
  
younger grandchildren.  
  
Ami then started to go back into the kitchen when Damris caught her arm.  
  
"Ami," she looked nervously at the older girl.  
  
"Yes?" Ami blinked.  
  
"Can't you and Hotaru...um...just use...your powers to save your friends?" Damris slowly  
  
inquired. She felt she was giving away her knowledge a little too soon, but she felt a debt of  
  
gratitude to Amara and Michelle for saving her and Hotaru from Eleutherios that wouldn't be set  
  
to rest quietly.  
  
"Powers?" Ami said, feigning innocence. "Whatever do you mean?!" And she quickly  
  
dove back into the kitchen, leaving Damris fuming slightly behind her. As she got away from the  
  
young girl, she thought mildly, *We'll have to deal with you later!*  
  
* * *  
  
Barvus Cephiro was going over some paperwork at his desk when the Praetorian entered,  
  
whom Cephiro took only a brief glance at without ceasing his work. Truth be told, he'd been  
  
expecting this for days, but with the daily games preparation and all, it had apparently taken time  
  
to loosen someone up to send to him.  
  
"Barvus Gorrium Cephiro?" the Praetorian asked.  
  
"Yes?" Cephiro replied without looking up from his work. "I'm in the middle of an  
  
inventory review, if you don't mind." He lifted up another sheet to glance at it while continuing  
  
to write, only occasionally stopping to re-ink his pen in the ink jar.  
  
"You are aware there was an attempt upon the Prince of Rome, Lucius Verus's, life?" the  
  
Praetorian stated.  
  
"So I heard," Cephiro said, dotting an I. "Someone with a death wish."  
  
"He wore armor with _your_ sigil upon it," the Praetorian said accusingly. "You,  
  
yourself, are thereby indicated in the attempt on the Prince's life!"  
  
"The man's name was Pherinias, and yes, he did work for me," Cephiro replied dryly as he  
  
wrote. "If it's any consolation, the Prince was not the target."  
  
"What?" the Praetorian blinked.  
  
"He was after the slaves," Cephiro elucidated. "The red head and the pink haired wonder.  
  
They humiliated him with an escape attempt on our way back in to Rome after our last gathering  
  
tour of the Empire. He swore he'd have revenge, but I hadn't thought he'd be so stupid as to  
  
actually break in to the Caesar's _Palace_! Man was a problem from day one." The whole time  
  
he spoke he had his eyes moving through the various documents on his desk, his hand still writing  
  
on the most prominent page atop the stack.  
  
"He broke in to kill two young slave girls?" the Praetorian repeated, mostly to himself.   
  
"Yet he still attacked the Prince, and mortally wounded another, adult slave, while there. Are you  
  
sure you didn't order this?"  
  
"Quite sure," Cephiro answered. "The only reason I made sure that pinky was in the  
  
group I put on auction after returning to Rome instead of putting her on direct market and  
  
haggling the price as high as possible to the nobility was because of Pherinias. I was worried she  
  
might not make it to a direct market if I waited too long. In the end, though, it seems it wouldn't  
  
have really mattered either way. Deliberately starved himself to death before sale."  
  
"What?" the Praetorian blinked, then beamed in realization. "Oh, you were reading  
  
something about another ware."  
  
"Quite," Cephiro said, then waving the guard away, "If you're finished, you can go."  
  
"Very well, you seem an honest enough man," the Praetorian nodded and turned to leave.   
  
"Just so you know, the Caesar has ordered all the Senators to be followed. And their  
  
constituents."  
  
"Really?" Cephiro dismissed the comment. "I wonder why."  
  
"I am only a soldier, but I have heard rumor to the effect that Caesar Commodus intends  
  
to announce the complete and permanent dissolution of the Senate by the end of the week," the  
  
Praetorian said, thinking it was an actual question. Now Cephiro looked up.  
  
"He's what?!" he snapped.  
  
"Planning to permanently dissolve the Senate," the Praetorian repeated. "In other words,  
  
he and he alone will be the power in Rome. Good day to you." And with that, the guard was  
  
gone. Cephiro sat for a moment, transfixed, pressuring his pen into the page until it snapped.   
  
Finally, he gave his head a shake and called in Cavinus, who had just returned from a midday  
  
sojourn.  
  
"It is only a rumor," Cavinus reassured his partner when Cephiro told him of the meeting  
  
with the Praetorian.  
  
"Rumor's are seldom false when originated in the _Palace_, Cavinus," Cephiro replied.   
  
"We can't wait on the Spaniard and the woman. I want an assassin, a good one, for a double  
  
murder, and I want him in two days." Cephiro rose two fingers to punctuate his comment.  
  
"I'll see what can be arranged," Cavinus relented.  
  
* * *  
  
Amara and Michelle glanced around their surroundings. The prison wasn't overly big, and at  
  
least a dozen or so people had been crammed into the nearby cells like sardines; men and women,  
  
boys and girls. It made them feel longingly for their home century. One little boy sat alone in a  
  
corner, crying at his misfortune. Others grumbled, and still others simply sat or stood quietly,  
  
their spirits smashed. They themselves sat in a small waiting area just outside the cells, as they  
  
had not actually been "arrested" yet.  
  
Occasionally a rich, probably noble, person would enter and either reclaim a runaway  
  
slave, or purchase one from among the prisoners at a cheap price. The ones sold were mostly  
  
young children. Adults seemed predestined for the lions.  
  
"So, what do you think our odds are?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Unless Hotaru gets back with her Mistress Hrisoula to provide proof the guy I killed was  
  
on the run, slim to nil," Amara replied. "Unless you think you can outrun a lion without...you  
  
know..."  
  
"On the other hand, we could whip out our...special tricks, and really wow the crowd,"  
  
Michelle suggested. She mildly fantasized about the crowd's reaction to a woman calling upon  
  
the power of the god of the seas, and actually getting a prompt response! They might even decide  
  
she herself was Neptune in human form. But then they heard some rattling in the distance. She  
  
and Amara glanced in the direction of the noise, and saw Hotaru and Trista talking to the guards  
  
in the meeting area...with a woman neither had ever seen before.  
  
"Do you think that's Hrisoula?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Maybe," Amara replied. "But why's Trista here? I thought she went with Darien..."  
  
* * *  
  
Darien had entered the cart to make conversation easier, and while Serena poured out her  
  
entire tale from start to finish, Vivian helped with making the meals for the customers. Darien  
  
listened quietly as Serena told him of their "house being robbed and burned by bandits", of her  
  
and Rini encountering Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian Cavinus's slave caravan on the road, of  
  
Serena being rendered unconscious and Rini being kidnapped while she lay senseless, of how she  
  
met the Rex's, her journey to Rome and Georgio's growing feelings for her, retrieving Rini's  
  
brooch from Querian, of learning about Rini's sale to the Prince of Rome, coincidentally meeting  
  
Ami and Hotaru who had become house slaves on their way to see them in Devinsa after the  
  
"untimely death of their mother", and of their final meeting with Cephiro in the streets of Rome  
  
when they learned of Rini's failed escape attempt, and punishment therefor. The only thing she  
  
left out was her, Hotaru, and Ami's meeting with Lita. She intended to save that for when they  
  
could talk more privately.  
  
When she finally finished, Darien remained quiet for a while, his face white as a ghost, but  
  
still. He had placed his helmet, which he had wisely put on his head after his arrival in Roman  
  
times, in one corner out of the way because, frankly, the durn thing was uncomfortable! Finally,  
  
he spoke.  
  
"I had the misfortune of meeting Darvinian Cavinus earlier," he commented. "He pawed  
  
Michelle. Now that I think of it, I think he might have suspected that I'm Rini's father. I almost  
  
wished I'd killed him when I had the chance."  
  
"But you didn't, despite your military training," Serena said. "You proved yourself better  
  
than him." Her heart was still shaking at being reunited with him, and partly wondered why it had  
  
taken so long.  
  
"Yeah; oh, by the way, we also ran into Terrarium Querian, and he's on the war path for  
  
you," Darien commented. "He said he intends to reclaim Rini's brooch for his spoiled little brat,  
  
and then drain you for everything he can, and finally toss you to the brothels. I made it clear I'd  
  
kill him if he even tried...with my fists."  
  
"You hit him?" Thernacius turned.  
  
"On to the ground...twice," Darien confirmed.  
  
"My man!" Serena beamed for the first time since she saw him, then went dour again. "I  
  
really wished I hadn't heard he was here, though."  
  
"He's an ass, forget him," Darien shrugged it off. "But how do we get Rini back?"  
  
"Another day or two at this, and I should have the three thousand gold coins that Lucius  
  
paid for her, and hopefully that will buy her back from him," Serena said. "Then my family will  
  
finally be whole again." Darien smiled warmly, then rose and turned to look at the crowd.  
  
"Then let's make the rest of that "Save Rini From Slavery" fund!" he said, and Serena  
  
bounced up, returning to work.  
  
"I'm so glad you're back," she said. "I love you." Georgio just continued to sit upon his  
  
knees on the ground, his heart and soul too smashed to care about anything else.  
  
* * *  
  
"You wanted to see me?" Lita asked as she entered Theophilus's room, Theophilus still at  
  
his desk. He put down the papers he was going over and looked up at her.  
  
"Lita, dear, your bauble, do you know if it's one of a kind?" he asked her.  
  
"To my knowledge," Lita replied quickly. "Why?"  
  
"Two young women came by earlier with identical baubles, well, almost identical,"  
  
Theophilus explained. "One had a Ruby with the war god's sigil and the other had a Topaz with  
  
the love goddess's sigil, but otherwise identical to your's."  
  
*Ruby...war god...Topaz...love goddess...oh, my god!* Lita's mind raced.  
  
"You also told me that your bauble can give you power over lightning once," Theophilus  
  
continued. "Do you suppose those two can use theirs to gain power as well...say, fire for the one  
  
with the war god bauble, and...oh...power over the minds and lusts of men for the one with the  
  
love goddess bauble?" Lita thought fast, but no ready excuses were coming.  
  
"They might..." she said slowly, attempting to stall.  
  
"They also said they were acquainted with you, and asked that you be released to them,"  
  
Theophilus added. "A raven head and a blonde. Are they known to you?"  
  
"Um...sounds like someone I used to know as a kid, maybe, perhaps..." Lita replied  
  
carefully, trying not to give too much away lest Theophilus have Rei and Mina added to his list of  
  
"possessions".  
  
"Lita, dear, how many of those baubles are there?" Theophilus asked. Lita stared for a  
  
moment.  
  
"I don't know," she finally replied. "Not many, I think."  
  
"How about one for each god," Theophilus suggested. "One for Mercury, the messenger  
  
god, Neptune, the sea god, Pluto, the underworld god, Apollo, the sun god, Juno, the Queen of  
  
the Gods, Diana, the moon/hunt goddess, Vulcan, the forge god, Minerva, the wisdom goddess,  
  
Vesta, the home goddess, Ceres, the earth goddess, and Bacchus, the wine god. And those are  
  
just for starters."  
  
"What, nothing for Uranus and Saturn?" Lita asked, feeling a little confused as to why  
  
those two had been left out. In fact, she was a little surprised to hear all those other god/goddess  
  
names being suggested for Sailor wands. She never realized there were so many!  
  
"Uranus was the father of the Titans," Theophilus said. "Saturn was the son who killed  
  
and overthrew him, only to be overthrown by his own children, the six leaders of the gods,  
  
Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, Neptune, Vesta, and Ceres. Don't you know your own religion, Lita?"  
  
"Uh...actually, I was...uh...raised Christian?" Lita said in an attempt to cover her severe  
  
lack of knowledge in regards to Roman Mythology.  
  
"Christian?" Theophilus blinked. "But I've never seen you praying to crosses and the  
  
like."  
  
"I said raised, not practicing!" Lita shot back quickly. "Is there anything else you want to  
  
know while I'm here, or shall I go back to training for my next fight?"  
  
"No, that's fine, you can go," Theophilus dismissed her, looking a little lost in thought.   
  
Lita quietly slipped out and went back to the yard to continue her training. She mentally pushed  
  
thoughts of Mina and Rei in slave's chains to the back of her mind for the time being.  
  
Back in his room, Theophilus continued to think about what he had learned, or what he  
  
hadn't. He had presumed the baubles had something to do with supernaturally channeling the  
  
powers of the gods, but then why would Lita have asked about the Titan, Saturn, and his father,  
  
Uranus? Unless... He turned and looked behind him at the small shelf of scrolls that sat against  
  
the wall, stared for a few minutes, then reached over and pulled a particular one out, and returned  
  
to the desk, where he unfurled it out to look at it.  
  
It was a depiction of the stars and planets in the heavens. He carefully traced his hands  
  
over the five planets beyond the centrally placed Earth on the chart.  
  
"Mercury...Venus...Mars...Jupiter...Saturn," he read off their names. He stared for a  
  
moment. It seemed plausible, but...there was no planet Uranus. There was nothing beyond the  
  
pathway of Saturn, save the stars themselves. "Unless..." he said to himself, "it's too far away to  
  
see without some kind of aid..." Could it be?  
  
* * *  
  
Amara and Michelle continued to wait quietly as the guards spoke with the woman with  
  
Hotaru and Trista, and finally a guard came over to them.  
  
"You're in luck, Miss," he said. "Your sister vouches for you, and Lady Hrisoula's  
  
papers confirm her slave's story. You and your personal slave are free to go!" Amara and  
  
Michelle nodded, and stepped away, walking over to their friends as the guard followed them.  
  
Amara then turned to the head guard on duty.  
  
"I'd like my sword back, please," she said as calmly and patiently as she could. The guard  
  
nodded and signaled one of the other guards over.  
  
"Bring the sword we confiscated form this woman, the curved one in the ivory and jewel  
  
encrusted sheath with a gold hilt," the head guard told his fellow, who nodded and walked off to  
  
another chamber for a few minutes. While they waited, Hotaru introduced Amara and Michelle to  
  
Hrisoula, and vice versa. Hrisoula, unsurprisingly, was almost transfixed with the color of  
  
Michelle's hair.  
  
"That's hair paint, right?" she asked. "Oh, well, she's your slave. I'll arrange for you to  
  
get the bounty later, probably tomorrow."  
  
"Actually, it's natural for her," Amara grinned. "And tomorrow will be fine."  
  
"Natural?" Hrisoula blinked. "You mean like Serena's daughter, the little slave of the  
  
Prince, Lucius Verus? The one who's hair is pink?"  
  
"Uh, huh, that's right!" Hotaru beamed, then realized what had just been revealed to her  
  
three surrogate parents! "Uh, I can explain about Rini..."  
  
"Ami already told me," Trista cut in, "Everything..."  
  
"Rini's...a slave? To a...Prince?" Amara stared wide eyed, and Michelle felt herself quietly  
  
shudder.  
  
"We'll tell you later," Trista said. "First we have to get back to the Rex's to meet Darien,  
  
and then get to the Colosseum to pick up Mina and Rei." At the last, she indicated the dropping  
  
sun.  
  
"Crap, it's that late already?!" Amara stared.  
  
"How time flies when you're having fun," Michelle quipped. Just then the other guard got  
  
back and handed Amara's sheathed weapon to the head guard, who momentarily unsheathed it,  
  
then resheathed it and handed it to Amara, who nodded and tucked it in her sash at the waist.   
  
They then left the building, Hrisoula, Trista, and Hotaru leading the way back to the Rex's.  
  
"I thought Serena and Rini were at the Rex's," Amara said as they moved through the  
  
street.  
  
"Serena is," Trista said. "Rini isn't, she's in the Caesar's Palace, owned by the Prince of  
  
Rome. Remember that piece of slime who groped you earlier, Michelle? You can blame him and  
  
his partner for that. Ami and Hotaru are house slaves of Hrisoula here, who is currently in Rome  
  
on holiday with her "staff"."  
  
"And Lita?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Still no sign," Trista replied.  
  
"Didn't Ami tell you?" Hotaru asked her, wonder in her eyes.  
  
"Uh, no," Trista stared back. "After she told me about her and you and what she knew of  
  
Rini, we got...distracted."  
  
"Because of Eleutherios, right?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Yeah, you said earlier something about him wanting to rape you and that other little  
  
girl?" Amara cut in.  
  
"Damris, yes," Hotaru said. "He was total slime, and he would have raped me back in  
  
Tercham if Ami hadn't stopped him with that vase! I hate to say it, but I'm _glad_ he's dead. If  
  
anything, I wish it could have been a little more painful!" Amara and Michelle felt a little shocked  
  
and nervous hearing those things coming from Hotaru's lips, but at the same time they couldn't  
  
really blame her.  
  
"Anyway, about Lita," Michelle turned back the subject.  
  
"Oh, yeah, she's a slave, too, to a guy named Theophilus. A gladiator slave," Hotaru  
  
stated.  
  
"A gladiator...is she alright?!?!?!?!" Trista, Amara, and Michelle all exclaimed at once,  
  
startling the heck out of poor Hotaru, and more than surprising Hrisoula.  
  
"Yeah, she's fine," Hotaru said, her eyes still big as plates from the shock from the three-  
  
way scream. "Kicking butt, actually, saw her fight my second day in the city, that's how we  
  
know she's here."  
  
"How do you and your sister know of the female gladiator of Theophilus?" Hrisoula  
  
asked, causing all of them to hit the breaks. Right now there was no good answer for that one.   
  
Fortunately, a few minutes later they got back to the Rex's just as Thernacius, Tatius, Vivian,  
  
Serena, Darien, and Georgio got back, Luna and Artemis riding on Serena and Darien's  
  
shoulders.  
  
"Hello," Darien said. "What were you all up to?"  
  
"A little trouble with an old "friend" of Hotaru's" Amara said. "Had to clear things up  
  
with the constabulary a bit. Nothing serious."  
  
"Friend?" Serena asked. "Who..."  
  
"Eleutherios," Hotaru said. "He's dead, thanks to Amara."  
  
"What?" Serena suddenly looked stern. "Not that I blame you..."  
  
"We'll explain later," Michelle cut in. "Right now us and Darien need to go get Rei and  
  
Mina. We'll be back soon!"  
  
"Shouldn't be more than half an hour," Darien said, handing Artemis over to Serena.   
  
"See you soon, love." And with that he kissed her and joined Trista, Amara and Michelle as they  
  
quickly raced back through the city to the Colosseum.  
  
The others entered the house and Serena pulled Ami and Hotaru aside while Luna and  
  
Artemis went to check on Diana in the sitting area with the kids after explaining to Hrisoula who  
  
Darien was. Georgio barely acknowledged his siblings when they came out to greet him and his  
  
father, simply limping off to his room to be alone, or at least Serena hoped.  
  
"Hotaru, Ami, just what happened today while I was reuniting with my beloved husband?"  
  
she asked quickly.  
  
"Eleutherios made a comeback and tried to grab me and Damris off the street, and Amara  
  
killed him with her sword," Hotaru said simply. She went into a quick diatribe of what happened  
  
afterward, and Ami told Serena that she'd told Trista about everything already, only then realizing  
  
she'd never mentioned Lita's fate.  
  
"That's alright, we'll be going over everything again anyway, when they get back," Serena  
  
sighed to herself. This was turning into a long day.  
  
* * *  
  
At the Colosseum, Darien, Trista, Amara, and Michelle looked around carefully, and in  
  
due course located Rei and Mina, who were still waiting for them. Except now they had a few  
  
moderately sized bags of something.  
  
After telling Rei and Mina in brief of their day's adventures, Rei and Mina filled them in on  
  
what they'd learned at Theophilus's, and Darien then asked about the bags.  
  
"Oh, these?" Mina said innocently. "Well, while we were waiting, a guy came up and  
  
asked our...price..."  
  
"You mean you..." Trista looked horrified.  
  
"No, I told him it would cost him a minimum of five _thousand_ gold coins for _that_!"  
  
Mina replied. "But then he asked how much to just feel me up, and silly me, I said three hundred,  
  
and that he was actually willing to pay, so I...took his money and let him," Mina explained.  
  
"He didn't push it, did he?" Darien asked, feeling his nerves rise.  
  
"Well, he did start to slip his hand inside my top, but I told him feeling me under my  
  
clothes was an extra five hundred on top of what he'd already paid, and he stopped almost  
  
immediately," Mina stated. "Later a few other guys came by for the same, and...well...I set the  
  
same price tags." Mina's face was now bright red with embarrassment.  
  
"I even priced the same, and got two paying "customers" of my own," Rei admitted  
  
blushingly. "But they only felt me up, none had enough for anything else. Thank goodness... We  
  
also used some of the money to get some dinner while we waited."  
  
"Did any pay higher?" Amara asked, her nerves on edge.  
  
"Just my third," Mina said. "He paid the extra five hundred to slip his hands inside my  
  
dress for a few minutes."  
  
"You didn't actually let him, did you?" Darien stared at her, his eyes bugging out of his  
  
skull. He'd been having a hell of a day today.  
  
"What was I supposed to do, he paid the full price!" Mina said. "Besides, he was gentle,  
  
and when I said stop, he stopped."  
  
"Serena is never going to believe this..." Michelle said.  
  
* * *  
  
When they returned to the Rex's, the collected Senshi, Darien, and the cats slipped into  
  
Serena and Ami's room, and _everyone_ was brought up to date on everything. Serena was less  
  
than thrilled with Rei and Mina's attempt to trade their wands to Theophilus for Lita, and slightly  
  
dismayed that he hadn't gone for it. And when she heard of Rei and Mina's pseudo-prostitution,  
  
she hit the roof! Almost literally!  
  
"How could you lower yourselves to...to...to..._that_?!?!" she screeched.  
  
"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Artemis said. "What happened to your pride?!"  
  
"We didn't mean to," Rei said. "It just sort of...happened."  
  
"Please tell me you didn't enjoy it," Serena leaned her head on her hand. "Letting those  
  
men cop-a-feel for money, I can't believe it..."  
  
"Well, actually, it did feel kinda good," Rei said, her face crimson.  
  
"Rei!!" Ami snapped despite herself. Hotaru had momentarily taken a leaflet from Trista's  
  
book, and temporarily clocked out.  
  
"Yeah, and I...uh...think I might of...um...come at one point," Mina said, her face also a  
  
lovely shade of blush red. Everyone else just stared at them, then Diana changed the subject.  
  
"So what about Rini and Lita? How do we help them?" she asked.  
  
"Well, Serena's only a few hundred gold coins away from buying back Rini," Luna said.   
  
"As for Lita, I don't know."  
  
"Hey, no problem!" Mina said. "Rei and I made two _thousand_ gold today. We  
  
combine what we have left after our stay in a hotel tonight and meals, and that should be _more_  
  
than enough to free Rini. Then we just break into Theophilus's compound, grab Lita and her  
  
wand, and get back to the future before they realize what's happened!" While the others thought  
  
over the merits of that plan, Ami suddenly got up and walked over to the door, bringing Hotaru  
  
back down to earth.  
  
"Well, that does it for our cover I'm afraid," Ami said calmly.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?" Hotaru asked, looking at her curiously. Ami looked at her  
  
nails a moment, then grabbed the doorknob.  
  
"I mean," Ami said, and pulled open the door, causing Damris to crash inward to the floor  
  
with a "Wha!!" cry. "Your roommate is an eavesdropper."  
  
"D...D...Damris?!" Hotaru cried.  
  
"Uh...hi?" Damris said looking up. "So...you're all witches, and a warlock? From  
  
another time?"  
  
"Why...you...little..." Hotaru felt her dander boiling, and Serena, Trista, Amara, and  
  
Michelle all grabbed her around the waist.  
  
"By the way, I thought I heard three more voices, but I don't see anyone new," Damris  
  
added, trying in vain to find the source of the other voices. But the only other beings in the room  
  
were the cats. Unless... *But that's...impossible...isn't it?* she thought.  
  
"It was us, Damris!" Diana suddenly cried, acting as though frightened. "Hurry, run  
  
away!"  
  
"Yes, look what they did to us," Artemis added, picking up on his daughter's ploy. "Save  
  
yourself!"  
  
"Hurry, before you suffer the same fate as we!!" Luna threw in, and Damris first went  
  
pale, then passed out.  
  
"Good thinking, Diana," Artemis grinned. "Now all Hotaru has to do is convince her it  
  
was all a dream. In the meantime, I think it's time Mina, Rei, Trista, Amara, and Michelle found a  
  
hotel for the night."  
  
"I'm sure Hrisoula or one of the Rex's can help with that if you ask," Ami advised.   
  
Everyone agreed with this, and brief good-byes/see you tomorrows were passed around, and the  
  
five girls went downstairs and asked Hrisoula and Ariadne, who were talking in the sitting room,  
  
where the nearest hotel was, and Ariadne gave them explicit directions that they followed to a  
  
four story building where they, thankfully, found two rooms vacant, though the management  
  
expected Michelle to sleep on the floor. And it wound up costing a whole two hundred and sixty  
  
gold coins for a night due to the activity of the games. To be safe, they paid for four nights,  
  
including the current one, up front, which ran through a little more than half what they presently  
  
had available.  
  
Back at Tatius and Ariadne's, Darien joined Serena in her room, the two mildly nervously  
  
sharing the bed while Ami remained on the makeshift bed on the floor she'd been using.  
  
"You know," Ami said as they let the darkness blanket them, "Now that we're almost all  
  
together again, I think things are starting to look up."  
  
"Yeah," Serena agreed as she snuggled into Darien's arms closely. "Nothing else could  
  
possibly go wrong now..."  
  
But in the shadows of the hall outside the room, a pair of young, male eyes watched Serena and  
  
Darien with an intensity never seen before. An intensity fueled by anger, rage, and, most important  
  
of all, jealousy...  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro continued to run through the papers on his desk well into the night, but truth be  
  
told his mind was anywhere but on his work. Everyone else upon the fourth floor, Cavinus,  
  
Decima, Oriana, Lelia, Zea, and Timotheos, were worried about him, but right now he was too  
  
agitated to care. Just when things were looking promising, everything had suddenly started going  
  
wrong all at once!  
  
First Commodus's games were making it harder to get a decent price for the wares below,  
  
then Pherinias went on his suicide run, and now Commodus was planning on dissolving the Senate  
  
before he could make his final play! This wasn't just misfortune, this was out and out disaster!   
  
The only good things that had happened lately were the sales of the pink haired wonder and her  
  
overly valuable trinket.  
  
"There you are, Cephiro," a familiar voice snapped, and he glanced up to see Querian  
  
entering his office. "We need to talk."  
  
"Querian? Aren't you a long way from Ferrio?" Cephiro asked, then glanced at the line  
  
he'd been writing and realized he made a mistake and quickly corrected it. *Damn, my mind is  
  
wandering!* he thought.  
  
"The jewelry you sold me at our last meeting was stolen. The mother of the girl you took  
  
it from snatched it right off my poor Julia's dress," Querian said. Cephiro briefly noted Julia and  
  
her mother, Tersia, outside in the sitting area. Julia had long since drifted off to sleep in her  
  
mother's arms, and Tersia herself seemed utterly exhausted. "I want you to help me find the  
  
woman..."  
  
"Now is not a good time, Querian," Cephiro cut him off, scribbling down a few more  
  
notes.  
  
"I need to know where to find the girl! I must have that brooch back!" Querian  
  
rebounded, and Cephiro snapped up, ramming his pen into the inkwell.  
  
"I said I have no time, Querian!" he roared. He rose and started to move toward his long  
  
time friend. "That bastard Commodus is planning to dissolve the Senate. Everything I have  
  
planned and worked for these past five years since the Caesar Marcus Aurelius's health began to  
  
fail is in hazard! Locating one upstart woman is not presently my concern!"  
  
"Just tell me if you know where Thernacius Rex might be staying, and I'll go..." Querian  
  
relented. He'd never seen Cephiro this riled. Behind him Julia mildly glanced up before nodding  
  
off again. There would be no choice but to go to a hotel afterward and resume the search on the  
  
morrow.  
  
"I don't know a Thernacius Rex," Cephiro waved him off and returned to his desk,  
  
collecting his pen after he sat back down. "I do know an Ariadne Rex who lives in the eastern  
  
residential area, but only because she purchased two slave girls from me at my last auction." He  
  
paused, then said to himself, "Come to think of it..."  
  
"Well, it's a lead, anyway," Querian sighed with a brief shrug. "Well, I'm going to find  
  
my family and I a hotel. Good luck to you, Cephiro." Querian then exited the office, gathered his  
  
family, and left. Cephiro nodded quietly as he did so.  
  
His mind had gone back to the auction. Ariadne Rex. She'd bought the two who had  
  
gone up on the podium right after red and the pink haired wonder had...who had also tried to  
  
escape the same night as those two...  
  
"Nah, couldn't be..."  
  
* * *  
  
In the halls below the main Colosseum arena, Lita went through a few practice swordplay  
  
routines with Vassos while waiting for the signal to head up. It was the next morning, and  
  
Theophilus had announced that there had been a last minute change of plan, and they were to  
  
have a large match against some of the finest gladiators from the Austrian provinces that  
  
afternoon. It was now mere moments from the match, and Lita was psyching herself up.  
  
"So, think we got a chance today, Lita?" Vassos asked.  
  
"Same as always," Lita replied. "Fifty-fifty."  
  
"With your success rate, I'd have thought it would better," Urian said as he gave his axe a  
  
practice swing.  
  
"A lot of my success has been dumb luck, Urian," Lita replied as she parried a blow.   
  
"And luck runs out sooner or later!"  
  
"I hear the Caesar won't be in attendance," another gladiator commented.  
  
"Oh?" Vassos spared him a quick glance as he counter-parried.  
  
"Yeah, something about other things to do," the other gladiator said. "But the Prince and  
  
his two slaves will be there."  
  
"The Prince?" Lita blinked, a thought passing through her mind. She then dismissed it.   
  
"What about his mother?"  
  
"Don't know," the gladiator said. "Around somewhere." Just then a rumble from the  
  
growing crowd above echoed into their halls.  
  
"Okay, people, look sharp!" Urian said. "Shouldn't be long now." Lita quietly gulped.  
  
* * *  
  
Theophilus sat quietly at a table, eating his lunch, Semon and his bearers, Belen and  
  
Christos, sitting off to the side. He would be finished shortly, and would then go to the  
  
Colosseum to watch his gladiators' next bout. Just then another man sat down at his table with a  
  
cup of mead. Theophilus glanced at him briefly, recognizing Cephiro at once.  
  
"Something you want?" he asked.  
  
"Not much," Cephiro grunted. He looked as though he hadn't slept too well. "Things  
  
have been escalating lately."  
  
"Yes," Theophilus agreed, thinking of his previous day's conversations with Lita and the  
  
two mystery women. "In more ways than one..."  
  
"When you next speak to your warrior woman," Cephiro said, ignoring Theophilus's  
  
comment, "Tell her to forget about it, that I'm going to have someone else take care of it. I  
  
simply can't wait for her to gain an opportunity." And with that, Cephiro chugged his mead and  
  
left. Theophilus stared after him, now even more curious. Agamemnon passed by right then, and  
  
watched the whole exchange quietly.  
  
"What was that about?" he asked after Cephiro was gone.  
  
"I have no idea," Theophilus replied. "But I think Lita does..."  
  
* * *  
  
While Amara and Michelle had decided to stay at the hotel for the time being, Trista and  
  
Rei returned to the Colosseum to look for Lita, and Mina had gone to see Serena with the remains  
  
of the cash in the hopes of buying back Rini from Lucius Verus. Trista and Rei weren't sure what  
  
to hope for, but if they could just see Lita they could ask her if she had any ideas on how to get  
  
her away from Theophilus without resorting to Sailor powers.  
  
Upon arrival they noticed people were already going inside, and in their search for a way  
  
to see in to the gladiators before they were sent in to fight they came across a pair of twins, boy  
  
and girl, with their mother.  
  
"Which gladiator do you want to see?" the boy asked.  
  
"A woman, named Lita," Trista answered.  
  
"Lita the Magnificent?!" the girl exclaimed. "She's fighting today! I've already placed  
  
two hundred gold on her, and soon I will be able to buy her for myself!"  
  
"Oh, come on, Arete, you know Theophilus will never sell her!" the boy retorted.  
  
"He will, too, Maxos, when I have enough to offer him!" Arete snapped back at her  
  
brother.  
  
"Do you know of any way we could see Lita before the fight?" Rei asked hopefully.  
  
"No, it's about to start now," their mother said. "Care to join us? We have a private  
  
spot."  
  
"Uh..." Rei hesitated.  
  
"Alright," Trista cut in. "Lead the way." The five went inside the Colosseum up the east  
  
side to a private area near the top of the structure. Below them the announcer introduced the  
  
battle briefly as the fifteen best the Austrian provinces had to offer against the fifteen best of  
  
Theophilus of Derorium. The two groups then emerged into the arena, saluted the crowd, and  
  
battle commenced.  
  
* * *  
  
The battle was fast and furious, Lita doing her best to stay alive in the middle of it. Their  
  
opponents were using a variety of weapons from long swords to spears to bows and arrows.   
  
Within minutes it became clear that the two groups were evenly matched. As Lita and her fellows  
  
from Theophilus's camp huddled together behind their shields to lower the amount of available  
  
targets to their enemies, Lita tried to see a way to win this battle.  
  
The enemy was centered around two small chariots, each dealing heavy artillery. In the  
  
Caesar's booth, Lucius Verus sat alone with the red-haired little girl and Rini, all transfixed upon  
  
the fight. Lita suddenly had a two-pronged plan form in her mind, but could she do it?  
  
She snapped out her sword and jammed it into the spokes of one of the chariots as it  
  
passed, causing it to crash spectacularly, the driver getting tossed aside and the armed passenger  
  
getting partially trapped below it. Lita then looked for an opening, and jumped out and grabbed  
  
the fallen gladiator's bow and arrows, knocked one, and then waited for the right moment.  
  
It was almost too simple. An arrow flying wild, tragically striking down the young Prince  
  
in his stride. A horribly unfortunate accident, and she would be blameless. After all, they  
  
couldn't possibly hold her responsible if she was hit in such a way that her arrow went flying off  
  
out of her control, right? And Rini would be safe...  
  
It was the right thing...wasn't it? It had to be...it had to...  
  
* * *  
  
In the Caesar's booth, Lucius, Rini, and Salina watched the battle carefully. They had  
  
been awed when Lita halted the first chariot and grabbed the bow and arrow set. Glancing at her  
  
owner, Rini noticed Lucius was starting to lean against the edge a little too much.  
  
"Uh, Lucius," she said. "Shouldn't you lean back a little? You could fall."  
  
"I'm fine," Lucius waved her off, his attention squarely on the battle. Rini watched him  
  
lean forward a bit more, and reached over.  
  
* * *  
  
Lita concentrated carefully, waiting, waiting for just the right moment. Her fellows had  
  
taken down four more of the opposition, but the second chariot was still moving. She couldn't  
  
wait forever, and then one of the enemy gladiators came charging toward her, sword drawn. Just  
  
as the man was on her, Vassos rammed his sword through his back in a backwards thrust, sword  
  
point aimed away from his rear and Lita shot her arrow in for good measure. Vassos then pulled  
  
his sword back out and flipped it forwards again for use on incoming fighters.  
  
*I can't do it...* she thought as she knocked another arrow and fired at another opponent.  
  
*I'm sorry, Rini, but I can't do it...not in cold blood...not a child...Sorry, Mr. Barvus, the deal's  
  
off...I just can't...*  
  
As the newly slain gladiator fell forward, Lita moved to avoid getting hit, and the other  
  
chariot came racing forward, intent on ramming her. Vassos dodged aside, and Lita waited, then  
  
jumped upward to avoid the vehicle. As she did so, the chariot driver's mace swung upward, and  
  
grazed her hand, enough to cause her to release her arrow in a moment of pain. She followed it  
  
with her eyes, right toward the Caesar's box, towards the boy.  
  
And as it flew forward, Lita saw Rini move in front of Lucius.  
  
"No!" she gasped.  
  
* * *  
  
Rini put one arm squarely around Lucius, looking sternly at him.  
  
"I am not explaining to your uncle why you fell into the Colosseum arena and got  
  
trampled by the fighters, Lucius!" she told him firmly, and pulled him away from the ledge. A  
  
split second later an arrow shot right through where they'd been standing, missing them by  
  
centimeters!  
  
"Ah!" Rini shrieked in surprise, losing her balance and falling to the booth's floor, taking  
  
Lucius with her. She immediately rose, and quickly glanced down in to the arena to see where it  
  
had come from. Rini noticed that Lita was staring in their direction, looking a little shaken up, but  
  
then returned to the battle. *It...couldn't be...,* she thought. She then noticed Lucius looking in  
  
the same direction.  
  
"You see? I told you were getting too close," Rini said, trying to divert his mind from  
  
where the arrow had flown from. It hardly mattered, it was probably just an accident. "What do  
  
you think, Salina? Salina?" She turned to her friend, only to see her clutching her arm, blood  
  
flowing down it.  
  
The arrow had imbedded itself in the wall behind her, but not before slicing Salina's arm  
  
as it soared past.  
  
"Salina!" Rini cried, dashing over to see how bad it was. Fortunately, it didn't look too  
  
deep, but she couldn't really tell with Salina's hand in the way. Lucius signaled a guard to get a  
  
doctor, then went over and pulled the arrow from the wall, staring at it, lost in thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Lita took a deep breath. That had been too close. She'd almost hit the wrong person, and  
  
Serena would never have forgiven her if Rini had been hurt or killed. She looked away from the  
  
Caesar's booth, knocked another arrow, and let fly towards the other chariot, nailing the driver  
  
and causing him to lose control, sending the chariot into the ground. With them both out of the  
  
way, she knocked and fired another arrow into another enemy gladiator's arm, then dumped the  
  
weapon and retrieved her sword.  
  
From that moment, she concentrated on living to the end of the battle, and fortunately, it  
  
was now fifteen to six, and the next five were brought to heel quickly by Theophilus's fighters.   
  
The gladiator who's arm she'd hit with her last arrow charged her, and after a brief scuffle with  
  
blades, Lita threw a hard uppercut kick into his chin, knocking him out. The last fighter went for  
  
Lita specifically, and the two dueled for several moments before Lita disarmed him and sent him  
  
off balance to the ground. She stood over him, sword at the ready, and she glanced toward the  
  
Caesar's box, where the three children had stopped paying attention to the bout.  
  
*Please don't let them know it was mine,* she prayed.  
  
* * *  
  
The crowd was roaring in approval of the spectacle, but Rini couldn't hear it. A doctor  
  
had been brought quickly, and was sewing up Salina's wound for good measure before bandaging  
  
it up. Lucius was still looking at the arrow absentmindedly, pondering.  
  
"Uh, sir," the guard said. "I think they're awaiting your decision." Lucius glanced into  
  
the arena, and saw the battle was over, Theophilus's men awaiting final judgment for the last of  
  
their surviving foes. Lucius realized _he_ had to decide if they were to live or die as he was the  
  
highest ranking personage present.  
  
"Lucius..." Rini breathed behind him, the girl having not left her friend's side since it was  
  
realized that Salina was wounded. Lucius rose his hand, thumb out to the side. He thought for  
  
just a moment, then rose it upward, the sign for letting the survivors live.  
  
The crowd roared in approval, and the Austrian gladiators picked themselves up, some  
  
with help from their former opponents, and left the way they came. Theophilus's warriors then  
  
bowed to the crowd, and did likewise. Lucius returned his attention to the activity, such as it  
  
was, in the booth. Rini just quietly sighed, trying to relax herself.  
  
Lita couldn't have shot the arrow at them deliberately. She just couldn't have!  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Ah, what tangled webs we weave... Next time, it all comes to a head! Be here for Chapter 12:  
  
Finalmente.  
  
Want to tell me what you think? Send E-mail! Scorpinac@sa-tech.com. 


	12. Chapter 12: Finalmente

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! And now all is coming to a final head.  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 12: Finalmente  
  
It was past noon by the time Serena, Darien, and Mina reached the neighborhood of the  
  
palace. And as they reached it, they saw a lot of commotion. People were bustling everywhere,  
  
and a dozen guards were present on constant alert. Nevertheless, they moved forward to find a  
  
way in and see to buying back Rini. All told, between the funds from the food stand and what Rei  
  
and Mina had "earned" yesterday, they had three thousand six hundred and fifty seven gold coins,  
  
easily enough to cover Rini's freedom. At least, they hoped.  
  
"Did you hear? It is said that Senator Gracchus has been arrested on the Caesar's  
  
orders," someone whispered nearby.  
  
"And I hear others may soon join him," another replied to the first.  
  
"Sounds like things are escalating, huh?" Darien commented to his companions.  
  
"I'd heard he was having them followed by gossip amongst the general crowd, but this?"  
  
Serena whispered. "You think there's any truth to it?"  
  
"Hard to say," Mina commented. "With the mentalities of this era, anything could be  
  
possible. Does it matter? It's not like it makes any difference in the long run."  
  
"It could make a difference in the matter of getting back Rini and Lita!" Serena hissed at  
  
her friend. Now that she was this close, she was tenser than ever.  
  
"It's okay, Serena," Darien gently stroked her shoulder. "It's almost over, we're getting  
  
her back, it's okay."  
  
"It's not okay until she's back in my arms, Darien," Serena stated simply. "Not until  
  
then." After a moment they spotted a door, and moved to enter through it when a pair of guards  
  
blocked them.  
  
"No admittance to commoners," one said aloud.  
  
"I have business with the Prince, Lucius Verus, on an important matter," Serena stated  
  
just as loudly. "Please allow me to pass or send word that Rini's mother wishes to speak with  
  
him in regards to her daughter's freedom."  
  
"Lucius Verus is at the Colosseum, and will not be back until...oh, never mind," the guard  
  
started to counter, paused, then pointed behind them. They turned and saw the Prince and a small  
  
group of guards coming up toward the palace, Rini and the red-headed slave with him. The  
  
second slave, however, looked hurt, a thick bandage on her left arm, and Lucius looked mildly  
  
distracted, an arrow in his hand.  
  
Without waiting, Serena turned and jogged over to the entourage, but was again halted by  
  
a pair of guards. This time she didn't bother to wait for the diatribe.  
  
"Lucius Verus!" she called. "I need to speak to you! It's about Rini, your...slave." She  
  
hated having to refer to Rini like that, but it was the only true applicable term given the  
  
circumstance. Lucius stopped and looked up, as did Rini, who looked as though she'd seen a  
  
ghost. The red-head also glanced over, looking just as shocked.  
  
"Isn't that..." the red-head breathed.  
  
"What about her?" Lucius asked.  
  
"Momma?!" Rini cried, tears brimming her eyes. Lucius glanced at her.  
  
"Your mother?" he blinked.  
  
"Yes, I am her mother," Serena stated. "And I bring you three thousand gold, the same  
  
you paid for her, to buy her back, to buy her freedom." Lucius stared for a long moment, almost  
  
too long for Serena's taste, before speaking again.  
  
"Now is not a good time," he said. "I will send someone for you before the end of the  
  
week, and we will talk of this then, alright?" Serena felt her stomach do a flip-flop. *Well, it isn't  
  
exactly a no, but it's not really a yes, either!* she thought. She stared at her child longingly.  
  
"May I at least have a moment with her before I go, please?!" she asked. Lucius stared at  
  
her again, then turned and stared at Rini, who looked at him pleadingly.  
  
"_One_ moment," he decided, and stepped aside as Rini shot forward into her mother's  
  
arms. Darien and Mina had the gold, and had been holding back a bit while watching the  
  
interchange. Mother and daughter hugged quietly for a few seconds, and then Serena's curiosity  
  
won out, and she reached a hand down the back of Rini's dress, feeling the skin of her child's  
  
back...the six interlacing scars...  
  
"That bastard..." she breathed. "I prayed so hard that he was lying to me..."  
  
"I tried..." Rini breathed, understanding fully without needing to hear more. "I tried to  
  
escape, but Cephiro caught us...it hurt so bad...I'm sorry I wasn't stronger..."  
  
"Have you tried again?" Serena breathed, fearing the answer.  
  
"No...I wanted to...once I could sit up again we were almost to Rome...and then the  
  
auction...and then here...I'm sorry..." Rini replied.  
  
"Nothing to be sorry about," Serena whispered. "Nothing at all..."  
  
"Yes, there is," Rini gulped, and looked up at her mother. "I...I lost my brooch..."   
  
Serena smiled and squeezed something into her hand. She glanced down, and gasped.  
  
"Took it off some spoiled little brat on the way to town," Serena commented. "Thought  
  
you'd like it back..." Rini smiled, then handed it back.  
  
"You keep it, until I'm free again..." she whispered.  
  
"Alright," Serena whispered back, and hugged her again. "It's okay, baby. It's okay..."  
  
"Ahem," Lucius cleared his throat, making it clear that their moment was up. They  
  
hugged tightly for a few seconds longer, then separated. Just as Rini started to turn to go back,  
  
Darien stepped up and gave her a very quick hug, startling her, and she whipped around.  
  
"Who...Poppa?!" she blinked. It was him, dressed in a green toga with a Roman sword  
  
sheathed and strapped to a belt around his waist.  
  
"Back from the war, I know everything, sorry I took so long," he said. "Don't worry,  
  
we'll work this out soon, I promise!"  
  
"I know..." Rini breathed, and quickly trotted back to Lucius's side. "Thank you, my  
  
Prince," she bowed politely, and the Prince, Rini, and the rest of the entourage proceeded into the  
  
palace. Darien held Serena a moment as Mina watched from behind, and after a moment they left,  
  
heading back to the Rex's.  
  
"I told one of the guards where we can be found while you were with Rini, so Lucius  
  
knows where to send them for us later, when he's ready," Darien commented, Serena quietly  
  
nodding as they moved.  
  
"At least she's okay," Mina said. "How bad was it?"  
  
"Felt like her whole back was covered in scars," Serena said, a sob in her throat. "I've  
  
changed my mind. I don't care about being 'better' than him, I just want Barvus Cephiro to pay  
  
for what he's done. I want him to hurt!"  
  
"I know, Serena," Darien consoled her. "But that's not for us to do..."  
  
* * *  
  
Inside the palace, Lucius took Rini and Salina straight to their room, and had Salina go to  
  
her bed to rest from the shock of what had happened earlier at the Colosseum. She only too  
  
willingly obliged, her nerves still very shot. Lucius then drew Rini aside around his bed, out of  
  
sight of Salina, and then pushed her against the wall, surprising the girl.  
  
"Did you plan this?" he asked quietly.  
  
"What?" Rini blinked.  
  
"Did you plan this?" he asked again. "Saving my life, then having your mother come to  
  
buy you back from me, to buy your freedom?" She watched his eyes searching her own, more  
  
intently than she had ever recalled them.  
  
"No, how could I?" Rini asked him back. "I had no idea that arrow would come near us, I  
  
just wanted to make sure you stayed in one piece. And until today I had no idea my mother had  
  
even made it to Rome, let alone my father. I thought him perhaps dead in the war, or forgotten  
  
about me. I had no way to plan this, nor would I!"  
  
"How can I trust you?" Lucius asked.  
  
"How can you not?" Rini countered. "I won't lie, I do desire my freedom above all  
  
things, but do you really believe I would be so desperate? So reckless? If I had been, I would  
  
have simply smothered you in your sleep long ago. But I haven't, and I won't. I have...come to  
  
care...too much..."  
  
Rini felt herself begin to choke on her words, losing her ability to think straight as  
  
Lucius's face drew ever nearer her own, and suddenly their lips were merged in the most  
  
passionate, heartfelt kiss Rini had ever had. Okay, not really passionate, more like extremely  
  
clumsy, but it was unexpected. Despite herself, she began to wrap her arms around him, enjoying  
  
the feel of him against her in ways she'd never thought possible, or even imaginable, before.  
  
*Is this love?* she thought to herself. *Am I in love...with Lucius? Like I believed I was  
  
in love with Helios?* Since Helios had returned to Elysion, Rini had thought long and hard about  
  
her feelings toward him, and had started to question whether or not she could really form a lasting  
  
relationship with someone who couldn't even exist in the real world! But right now that was  
  
moot - Lucius was here, and was quite real.  
  
But as her mind raced, another thought occurred to her, and just as it fully formed, Lucius  
  
broke away, staring at her. In a moment, the same words came to both their lips:  
  
"I can't do this."  
  
"It would never work, can never work," Lucius breathed, trying to slow his own rapid  
  
heart rate.  
  
"You are a Prince, I am just a slave," Rini added. "I am not meant for you, cannot be  
  
meant for you..."  
  
"And yet..." Lucius stared into her orbs further, and started to lean in again when they  
  
were interrupted by a voice clearing itself.  
  
"Uh, sir, it's time for your practice session," the servant said.  
  
"Coming," Lucius pulled himself away.  
  
"I have duties," Rini whispered. "I should get to them." Lucius walked away, and for a  
  
moment Rini sagged to the floor, her body feeling spent in a way she'd never felt. She breathed  
  
deeply for several moments before finally pulling herself to her feet and dragging herself to the  
  
kitchen for her afternoon duties.  
  
* * *  
  
The practice session went well, as usual, and the rest of the day flew by for Lucius, but  
  
part of him was still distracted by what had occurred in his chamber, and he felt the need to stay  
  
away a bit longer, afraid of what might happen between him and his slave when they next met.   
  
Finally, dusk began to settle, and he decided he needed a distraction, to settle his nerves, if  
  
nothing else. Perhaps another practice session with his sword? Hmm, a game perhaps?   
  
Legionnaires? Nah, that was kinda old...of course! He collected his sword, summoned a servant,  
  
and settled into a very entertaining game of Gladiator.  
  
* * *  
  
Damris woke slowly, seeing only the face of Hotaru in the room. This did not bode well.  
  
"Uh, am I in trouble? I'm not a cat now, am I?" she asked timidly. At least her voice still  
  
sounded normal.  
  
"Whatever do you mean, Damris?" Hotaru asked. "I was just about to wake you for  
  
morning chores. I'm sure Hrisoula is getting impatient. And I must say, you fidget so when you  
  
sleep. Was it an interesting dream?"  
  
"Dream?" she blinked. "Don't even try, Hotaru! I know I didn't dream it!"  
  
"Are you sure you're feeling well, Damris?" Hotaru asked, picking up Luna who was  
  
nearby. "What do you think, Miss Luna Kitty?" Luna meowed in reply, and Damris felt warm.   
  
*Did she really think I would fall for this?* she thought.  
  
"Fine, play dumb!" she snapped and rose to her feet. "I'll be downstairs doing my work."  
  
"Okay," Hotaru smiled warmly, and watched as Damris left. "I don't think she's falling  
  
for it, Luna."  
  
"Not a bit," Luna agreed quietly. "Nothing we can really do about it, though..."  
  
Outside, Damris grinned as she listened to the brief pass, then sped on down to the first  
  
floor to get started on the day's chores...  
  
* * *  
  
As Trista and Rei emerged from the Colosseum, the mother and twins bid them farewell  
  
and went elsewhere, while they headed over to the gates of the holding area, and strained their  
  
eyes looking for Lita amongst the other gladiator slaves.  
  
"It looked like an accident," Rei said. "But..."  
  
"I know, it seemed like she was going to do it deliberately for a moment at first," Trista  
  
finished, still feeling shaken by what she had seen. Oh, she knew what the Roman gladiatorial  
  
games were like, but actually seeing one that had a dear friend caught in it was something else  
  
entirely! Very different...  
  
"Hey, there she is!" Rei cried, pointing out an exhausted looking Lita dropping weapons  
  
on a pile, her face holding a look of fatigue. "Hey, Lita! Over here!" she cried, gaining Lita's  
  
attention, who stared in shock at her friends, and quickly moved over to them, only the bars  
  
separating them from one another.  
  
"Rei? Trista? What are you doing here?" she asked. "You better be careful, these people  
  
play for keeps, they even chained up Rini..."  
  
"We know," Trista said. "Serena and the others told us everything. Lita, were you  
  
_trying_ to hit that boy today?"  
  
"Lucius Verus, the Prince?" Lita asked. "Well, I...sorta...promised someone I would...but  
  
at the last moment I couldn't go through with it...but I was grazed by that mace and...wait, you  
  
saw...?"  
  
"We were in the audience with two of your biggest 'fans'. A pair of twins, you may know  
  
of them?" Rei stated, and Lita sighed.  
  
"Maxos and Arete? Yeah, I've seen 'em," she said. "Twisted little things, aren't they?"  
  
"Not twisted," Trista said. "Desensitized. They've been bombarded with the idea that  
  
what their father does is okay, maybe even good, from the moment they escaped the womb,  
  
leaving no room for doubts on the subject. Not something that can be easily fixed, if anyone ever  
  
even tries to."  
  
"Whatever," Lita said, then her eyes widened as she stared at something behind them, and  
  
they turned to see her owner, Theophilus, being carried up in his portable chair by his handlers,  
  
his servant at his side as always.  
  
"You told Cephiro you'd kill Lucius Verus?" he hissed. "That's what he wanted me to  
  
tell you to cancel? What in the gods' names were you thinking?"  
  
"He said Lucius was having Rini whipped, possibly even molested," Lita admitted. "He  
  
said he'd get me a pardon while everything was sorting itself out after Commodus and Maximus  
  
do each other in, if they do each other in..."  
  
"No one can say they will with any certainty," Theophilus countered. "And Barvus  
  
Cephiro is a devious man, who I now see will do anything to get what he wants."  
  
"And how could he possibly give you a pardon for something like that?" Semon asked, his  
  
own voice getting taut.  
  
"He said he was going to use his connections in the Senate to wriggle his way into power  
  
after the fallout," she muttered, but by this point Trista and Rei had gone on full alert.  
  
"Hold up!" Rei cut in. "Did you say 'Barvus Cephiro', the slaver?"  
  
"Yes," Theophilus answered. "Oh, it's you, the one with the war god bauble. Still want  
  
to try and trade for Lita?"  
  
"Not right now!" Rei snapped, and turned to her friend. "Lita, you were played, you ding  
  
dong!"  
  
"What?" Lita blinked.  
  
"Barvus Cephiro is the one who kidnapped, enslaved, and sold Rini to Lucius Verus!" Rei  
  
stated. "Lucius hasn't had Rini whipped, Cephiro did when she tried to get away from him!" Lita  
  
just stared at her for a moment as she digested this information, before finally screaming:  
  
"That lying son of a bitch!!! I'll kill him!!!!"  
  
* * *  
  
As Serena, Darien, and Mina reached the Rex's place, they were met by Ami at the door.   
  
She looked pensive, anxious.  
  
"What's up, Ames?" Serena asked. "Damris not fall for the 'It was all a dream' ruse?"  
  
"No, hard to tell, really," Ami replied. "Darien, Georgio says he wants to talk to you in an  
  
alley...over there. He said to come alone..." She pointed towards the alley in question.  
  
"What's wrong, Ami?" Serena looked at her seriously. But Darien had already hotfooted  
  
it over to see what was up.  
  
"Well, he was ranting something about Rini, and you, and..." Ami said, then finally took a  
  
breath and stated, "Serena, I think he's gone mad with jealousy! I think he means to kill Darien in  
  
order to claim you for himself!"  
  
"What?!?!" Serena screeched, and the sounds of clanging swords could be heard in the  
  
distance, and Serena's mind went into panic mode!  
  
* * *  
  
Darien stepped into the dark alley carefully, his own alerts on full. He remembered how  
  
Georgio had been incensed at his arrival the day before, and how he had challenged him to single  
  
combat for Serena's hand. It wouldn't surprise him at all if this was a trap. He saw Georgio, or  
  
at least his silhouette, standing there, his back to Darien, oddly still.  
  
"You wanted to see me?" Darien asked.  
  
"You don't deserve her," Georgio hissed. *Yep, trap!* Darien thought, his hand resting  
  
on the sword at his belt. "You let her home be destroyed, her child, _your child_, be stolen,  
  
enslaved! I'd never let that happen! I'd never abandon her, not for anything!" He turned, a  
  
sword now visible in his hand. "You don't even deserve to live!" he roared, and charged. Darien  
  
yanked out his sword and parried the incoming blow, but he knew Georgio was just getting  
  
started.  
  
Georgio began swinging and thrusting rapidly, Darien carefully parrying each blow, and  
  
every now and then swinging a return blow, hoping to knock the boy off guard and disarm him  
  
before either was hurt. He didn't want to die, and he daren't harm Georgio as he might still have  
  
something important to do for the timelines, like sire one of their friend's ancestors! Hell, he  
  
could be the forebear of someone seriously famous, he didn't know! He just knew he couldn't  
  
take the chance!  
  
"You won't hurt her again!" Georgio screamed. "I love her, and I won't see her cry  
  
anymore! Serena is mine!!!" At that point, Darien lost his footing and fell backward against a  
  
wall, and Georgio bared down on him.  
  
"Do you really think she'll love you after this?" Darien asked as he parried another blow.   
  
"You say you love her, but how do you intend to prove it? After you kill me, if you kill me, do  
  
you really think she'll just fall into your arms?! And if she doesn't, then what?"  
  
"Silence!" Georgio snapped, swinging further, being blocked and blocking as Darien  
  
continued to fight back. "I love her, and I know she loves me! She just needs you to be gone!!"  
  
"And if that isn't it, how will you make her love you then, Georgio?" Darien snapped  
  
back. "Will you force yourself on her?!"  
  
"She...will...be...mine!!!" Georgio roared, and thrust...only to go into shock as Serena  
  
suddenly materialized in front of him, catching the sword with her hand before it could reach  
  
Darien. He stared in horror as blood dripped freely from her hand.  
  
"No, Georgio," she said. "It's time for you to grow up. I don't belong to you, and I am  
  
not meant for you. I am, have been, and always will be meant for Darien!"  
  
"Serena..." Georgio looked at her, his eyes breaking, his throat catching. Serena released  
  
the sword, and he fell to his knees again, tears streaming from his eyes as he stared at her, his  
  
sword dropped from his hands. "Why?! Why won't you love me?! How can you still love  
  
him?!"  
  
"Because," she answered. "That's what love is." Darien sheathed his blade, and he and  
  
Serena walked out of the alley together, Georgio still crying and struggling to comprehend the  
  
incomprehensible.  
  
* * *  
  
As Rini helped clean and peel some of the vegetables quietly, her mind raced over what  
  
had happened again and again. Lita's arrow almost hitting them, Lucius questioning her about  
  
setting it up, her and Lucius kissing the way she'd once seen Serena and Darien kissing.   
  
Especially the last part. Mostly, the last part.  
  
"There a problem?" one of the servants asked her, breaking her reverie.  
  
"Huh? Oh, no...nothing," she replied idly, looking up only briefly, her mind still  
  
preoccupied.  
  
"Who is he?" the servant asked, her eyes sparkling lightly.  
  
"Huh?!" Rini blinked, now at full attention.  
  
"You're thinking about a boy, aren't you?" the servant stated. "It's okay, just because  
  
we're slaves and indentured servants doesn't mean we're no longer allowed to think about the  
  
opposite sex in...that way." At the last, the servant smiled suggestively. To what, Rini wasn't  
  
quite sure, but imagined it had something to do with what she'd seen some of the guards doing  
  
with adult female slaves every now and then.  
  
"No, no, nothing like that..." Rini quickly protested, searching the water for the radish  
  
she'd just dropped.  
  
"I knew it. You're in love, ain't you?" the servant continued to smile. "So, who is he?   
  
Which slave?"  
  
"Not a slave..." Rini finally admitted. "Not anyone..."  
  
"You're not getting soft on one of them Senator's sons, are you? No good'll come of  
  
that!" the servant commented as she finished peeling a carrot and started on another while Rini  
  
switched to another vegetable. "There might be perks to being a powerful man's mistress, but  
  
he'll ne'er let you keep any of the kids you eventually have, if'n any." Rini paused.  
  
"What if he's next in line to be an Emperor?" she asked quietly.  
  
"The Prince?!" the servant stared at her. "Oh, child, I really don't think he's looking at  
  
girls like that just yet. He may know what he's 'spected to do with'em when the time comes, an'  
  
all, but he's still a child himself. I doubt he's e'en got any interest."  
  
"It's not like I'm looking to do _that_ with him, not if I don't have to," Rini replied, still  
  
quiet. "I don't think he's thinking in that way much, either, but he has learned to kiss pretty  
  
good..."  
  
"Kiss?! You kissed him?!" the servant's eyes were like plates. "Oh, now you done it,  
  
sweetie, now he'll ne'er let you go! Just you watch, he'll want to keep you till the end o' your  
  
days!"  
  
"Maybe..." Rini commented, more to herself than to the servant. "Maybe..."  
  
* * *  
  
Ami gently wrapped a simple bandage around Serena's hand while Darien watched from  
  
nearby on the couch. Georgio had yet to return from the alley. Hotaru was in the kitchen with  
  
Damris and Felicia preparing dinner, and Iosif and Galea were in another room doing laundry.   
  
Thernacius and the rest of his family had gone out for an outing around the city, while Hrisoula  
  
had decided to read a new scroll she had bought two days earlier in her guest room. Zacharias  
  
was sitting quietly on the floor, once again amusing himself with Luna and Artemis, Diana having  
  
slipped off somewhere.  
  
"You're lucky, Serena, the cuts aren't too deep," Ami commented. "I think Hotaru's  
  
healing gift should be able to repair them quickly enough."  
  
"Yeah, wished we'd thought of that when we saw Lita in the 'pits'," Serena replied.  
  
"I take it Lucius didn't want to sell?" Ami asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Actually he said he'd send someone to brings us for negotiations later in the week," Mina  
  
said. "So there's still hope there. The real question is what do we do about Lita?"  
  
"No easy answer to that one," Serena admitted with a sigh.  
  
"We just need to put our heads together," Darien said. "We'll come up with something,  
  
hopefully..."  
  
"Hello?!" a male voice called out, and Ami went to the door, only to find herself face to  
  
face with a rather extravagantly dressed man, a timid looking woman, and a very spoiled looking  
  
little girl.  
  
"Yes?" Ami asked.  
  
"Is this the home of Tatius and Ariadne Rex?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, but they're not here right now," Ami answered. "They're out with their son,  
  
daughter-in-law, and younger grandchildren. Can I take a message?"  
  
"Who is it?" Serena glanced around the corner to see what was taking Ami so long, and  
  
froze at the sight of who was at the door.  
  
"Querian!" she gasped.  
  
"There you are!" he growled, and pushed his way past Ami, who flopped back in shock.   
  
"Where is it? I want it!"  
  
"Yeah!" Julia chimed, following her father in. "Give back my favoritest jewelry now!"   
  
Ami noticed that the third member of their party stayed just outside the door, seemingly too afraid  
  
to do anything else.  
  
"Sorry, already returned it to my daughter," Serena replied as she composed herself.   
  
"You can go back home now."  
  
"Oh, no!" Querian snapped. "First you reimburse me for it, and the pain and suffering you  
  
caused me back in Ferrio. Then I leave."  
  
"And I want the other pretty locket, too!" Julia added. Serena just stared.  
  
"Sorry, flat broke," she said. "Now get lost."  
  
"Who is it, Serena?" Mina poked her own head out, and then cringed at the sight of the  
  
pompous ass and his mewling brat, as she thought of them anyway. "Ugh."  
  
"That doesn't sound promising," Darien commented as he glanced around the corner  
  
himself. "Oh, it's you. Didn't you get enough the last time, or do you want me to deck you  
  
again?" He and Mina stepped fully into the hall then.  
  
"Oh, you'll get what's coming to you, sir, you mark my words," Querian sneered. "But  
  
first, your woman owes me some money, and then has an appointment with the brothels!" This  
  
time it was Serena's fist that suddenly collided with Querian, in his stomach. While he struggled  
  
to regain his breath, she glanced at the woman still waiting outside.  
  
"I'm presuming you're his wife, and this little brat's mother?" she asked. "Would you  
  
please take him away? Permanently?"  
  
"I. . .I. . .I dare not," the woman finally said something. To everyone's shock, the little  
  
girl glowered at her, and she cringed back a step.  
  
"Jeez, talk about pussy whipped," Mina muttered aloud.  
  
"The guy who bought Rini's brooch from Cephiro?" Ami asked.  
  
"Bingo," Serena answered.  
  
"What's going on?" Hotaru's voice carried over, and they glanced over their shoulders to  
  
notice her and the other slaves coming into the main hall to see what was up. A moment later,  
  
Zacharias came around the corner from the lounge, holding Luna and Artemis, seemingly  
  
uncomfortably so, in each tiny arm.  
  
"Ooh, what pretty kitties!" Julia squealed. "I want'em both!"  
  
"They're not yours!" Zacharias snapped, squishing the two unfortunate cats closer to  
  
himself, causing them both to let out a brief yelp. "You can't have'em!" Julia stared at  
  
Zacharias, a look of intense shock and anger on her face, and then she charged forward, grabbed  
  
Luna and Artemis by their tails, and pulled!  
  
"Rowl!!!" they screeched, and Zacharias tried to pull back, tightening his grip further.  
  
"Gimme!!!" Julia screamed.  
  
"NO!!!" Zacharias answered. Suddenly the two cats were torn away from the bickering  
  
children by Mina and Darien, the two staring daggers at Julia.  
  
"When someone tells you that you can't have something," Mina said gloweringly, "It  
  
means you can _not_ have it! You okay there, buddy?"  
  
"Meow..." Artemis got out between breaths.  
  
"I don't think there's any permanent damage," Darien said. "Thanks for trying,  
  
Zacharias."  
  
"Welcome," the boy replied with a small smile. By this time, Querian was finally  
  
managing to re-compose himself, and was angrier than ever.  
  
"Don't worry, Julia, you'll get the cats," he growled. "But first, we're getting the  
  
guards..."  
  
"For what?" a voice asked, and Hrisoula stepped into view from the stairs, a disapproving  
  
look on her face. "I thought I heard children screaming," she added, noticing Zacharias and Julia  
  
still glaring at each other, Julia also staring daggers at Mina and Darien, who were comforting a  
  
still very upset Luna and Artemis.  
  
"Who are you? Ariadne Rex?" Querian asked.  
  
"I am Lady Hrisoula Vocusia of Tercham," Hrisoula replied. "And you are?"  
  
"Terrarium Aurelius Querian," Querian introduced himself. "Of Ferrio."  
  
"A jeweler, aren't you?" Hrisoula asked. "Yes, I believe I've sold some of your work at  
  
my stand back home."  
  
"And a self-centered egotist, at that," another voice cut in, and all turned to see the Rex's,  
  
still minus Georgio who was apparently still moping in the alley, coming up to the house. Delia  
  
immediately fell back, pulling her younger brother with her, while Tatius, Ariadne, Thernacius and  
  
Vivian moved into the house to join the discussion at hand.  
  
"Thernacius," Querian sneered. "How _have_ you been?"  
  
"Better, worse, in-between," Thernacius replied. "Serena, did you not manage to regain  
  
your daughter?"  
  
"Still working on that one, I'll fill you in later," Serena answered. "Need to get rid of a  
  
pest control problem first."  
  
"Oh, I can't wait to see you break, you little..." Querian growled.  
  
"Okay, it's getting crowed in here, I think I'll go back to the hotel for now, I'll come see  
  
how things turned out for you all tomorrow," Mina piped up, cutting him off. She scooped up  
  
Luna and aimed for the door. "I'll just take these two with me for safekeeping, 'kay?"  
  
"Sure," Serena waved her off. "See you tomorrow."  
  
"See you then," Mina winked, and made to leave. She noticed that daylight was waning  
  
rapidly, and men were walking along and lighting the streetlight torches for the night, the street  
  
crowds dispersing. Querian suddenly blocked her exit with one arm.  
  
"You leave," he said, "when the cats are in my Julia's arms." Luna and Artemis began to  
  
sweat profusely.  
  
"Over my dead body," Mina said.  
  
"That can be arranged!" Querian roared.  
  
"Oh just let them keep the stupid cats!!" the unnamed woman suddenly snapped, then  
  
cringed backward in total fright.  
  
"When I want your opinion, Tersia, I'll give it to you!" Querian roared at her.  
  
"Yeah, mom! Keep your nose out!" Julia snapped, then suddenly flew forward with a  
  
shriek onto the floor, landing hard! Everyone stared wide-eyed. She'd been pushed...by  
  
Zacharias!  
  
"You don't talk back to your mommy!" he yelled. "She could be dead with Puto and  
  
Hecte in the Lysion Fields tomorrow, and then you'd be sorry!"  
  
"Zacharias?" Damris whispered. *He's known all along?*  
  
"Wh..why you!" Julia stared back at him. "DADDY!!!" she zipped to her father's side in  
  
tears. "He was mean to me!!!"  
  
"You sniveling little worm," he growled towards Zacharias, who, with no one else  
  
immediately available, dove behind Darien's legs, hiding. Darien reached to where his sword sat  
  
against the wall nearby, pulling it from its sheathe, showing he was ready to use it if need be to  
  
protect the little boy.  
  
"You...will not...touch him," Darien glowered to the unpleasant man. Just then, a loud  
  
ruckus could be heard from somewhere down the streets of the city. As everyone pondered what  
  
the hullabaloo was about, a sudden roar erupted!  
  
* * *  
  
Lita glanced up at the noise. She'd been contemplating what Rei and Trista had told her  
  
of what they knew about Rini's enslavement from Serena, and she'd been cursing herself at being  
  
so easily manipulated and used by that bastard Cephiro. She was also still deciding whether or  
  
not Serena would approve of her strangling Cephiro the next time he came to see her or not, if he  
  
ever did since, according to Theophilus, he'd called off the hit to have a more professional killer  
  
take care of it for some reason.  
  
She saw Semon glance over the wall he was standing on an upper gangway of out in the  
  
court, and decided to call out to him.  
  
"Hey, Semon! What's going on!" she called. "It sounds like somebody's declared war  
  
out there!"  
  
"It looks like it, too," Semon replied. "Several Praetorian are at Proximo's gates! Looks  
  
like they're trying to force their way...never mind, they're in!" More noise erupted, and Lita  
  
arose from her bed and moved to the bars of her cell. Though her angle was lousy, to put it  
  
mildly, she could make out an additional level of light from over the wall, and she could make out  
  
the sounds of people fighting...and dying...  
  
"Do I want to know..." Lita called up.  
  
"They're everywhere!" Semon snapped back. "Proximo's men and the Praetorians are  
  
slaughtering each other!" Lita felt a distinct chill, and then there was a loud ruckus at _their_  
  
gates! Lita glanced over to note a second barrage of Praetorian guards banging for admittance  
  
into their compound.  
  
"THEOPHILUS!!!" one of them roared. "Open immediately! You will surrender the  
  
woman warrior for questioning at once!! In regards to a plot against the Caesar!"  
  
"It had nothing to do with the Caesar!" Lita called out. "Barvus Cephiro wanted me to  
  
kill the Prince! The _Prince_ I tell you! And it doesn't matter, _I_ called it off!!" *Okay, a little  
  
white one, but it _was_ called off!* she thought as the Praetorians went quiet, apparently taking a  
  
minute to digest the information. Glancing back up to the wall, she noticed that Semon had  
  
gone...  
  
* * *  
  
"What do we do, Theophilus?" Semon asked his master. He had gone to Theophilus's  
  
room to inform him what was happening when Lita began to call out to the Praetorians.   
  
Theophilus sat, as always, in his nightshirt upon his bed, a very calm, stoic look upon his aged  
  
face.  
  
"We have become caught in an unwinnable game, my friend," he said. "But maybe..."  
  
"Maybe what?" Semon looked at him curiously.  
  
"Something she told me once...something I ignored," Theophilus replied. "Maybe it's  
  
time I took a chance. Semon...take the bauble, and return it to her. And unlock her cell." He  
  
glanced up at Semon, a quiet look in his eyes. "It seems she may have won her freedom after all,  
  
old friend." Semon looked at him quizzically for a moment, then smiled broadly.  
  
He moved quickly, opened the case, scooped up the wand, moved to the desk, grabbed  
  
the keys to the cells, and ran out and down to the yard toward Lita's cell. He got there just as the  
  
Praetorian group at the gate started to get rowdy, and oddly enough, the noise from Proximo's  
  
compound began to lessen.  
  
"Semon, what...?" Lita blinked when he started to unlock her cell.  
  
"It appears you might just win your freedom after all, my love," he said. "Theophilus  
  
sends his wishes, and returns to you your..." Before he could finish though, the gate cracked  
  
asunder under a moderate battering ram, and the Praetorian came rushing in. Semon grabbed a  
  
huck of wood, and turned to fight...  
  
"NO!" Lita screamed, and shoved the cell door open hard. She dove forward and  
  
slammed her full body weight into Semon, knocking him to the ground just as an arrow flew over  
  
to them. As the Praetorian closed in, she lifted to her knees and rose her hands.  
  
"You do know that this means I give up, right?" she asked, trying her best to keep calm.  
  
"Lita..." Semon whispered.  
  
"Very wise," the lead Praetorian said, then waved upward with his sword. "On your  
  
feet." Lita calmly stood up. Semon rose quietly behind her, one Praetorian disarming him and  
  
holding him at bay.  
  
"What of this one, sir?" the guard asked. By this time, the other gladiators and workers in  
  
the compound had risen and come out to see what was up.  
  
"Just let him go, he has nothing to do with this," Lita stated. The lead Praetorian stared at  
  
her for several moments.  
  
"You care about him?" he asked.  
  
"He's a friend," Lita answered.  
  
"Let's wipe out everyone in the compound!" another guard suggested loudly.  
  
"NO!" Lita snapped forcefully, then fell back a step.  
  
"You care about _all_ of them?" the leader asked.  
  
"I've fought at their side several times, depended on them to stay alive more than I would  
  
have thought possible," she answered. "How could I _not_ come to think of them as my  
  
brothers?" The Praetorians held at bay for several minutes, then:  
  
"Take them all!!" the leader barked, and one grabbed the keys from the ground where  
  
Semon had dropped them, and all went quickly to work...  
  
* * *  
  
Rini looked out from the balcony, fear great in her mind. She'd gone to find Lucius when  
  
it started to get dark, and heard him talking with his uncle. Commodus was telling him about  
  
Cleopatra and her infamous affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, among other things, and  
  
then Lucilla came in. As she listened to the conversation and watched Commodus's and Lucius's  
  
faces, she knew something big was up, something that would cost Lucius his life if Lucilla  
  
remained quiet.  
  
She didn't.  
  
And now the Praetorian were out collecting Lita and the Spaniard gladiator, Maximus.   
  
She could still hear in her mind Lucilla spilling her guts about the whole conspiracy between her,  
  
Gracchus, and Maximus to get rid of Commodus, and what Lucius had said afterwards:  
  
"Uncle...I think there may be another enemy...an arrow almost hit me today at the  
  
Colosseum...would have done if not for Rini...I think the woman warrior sent it...but it might have  
  
been an accident...that's why I..." He'd stopped then, fear overtaking him completely as it had  
  
been slowly grabbing at him since Commodus had started talking about Caesar Claudius and his  
  
wife's betrayal when Lucilla came in.  
  
But the damage had been done. She could see the extra light coming from the gladiator  
  
compound's area as the Praetorian saw to their work. *Oh, Lita, please, just tell me it was an  
  
accident! It just has to have been! You couldn't have done that on purpose, you just couldn't  
  
have...* she thought quietly.  
  
"Rini..." a voice whispered, and she turned to see Diana tiptoeing up from behind a  
  
curtain. "I found a way out...you can escape, and we can go home...Rini...?"  
  
"Go away," Rini whispered back. "I can't...I promised...they'll whip me again...I can't do  
  
that again, I just can't..."  
  
"Rini...?" Diana blinked, still whispering.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice said behind them, and Diana watched as Rini froze up. A  
  
man walked up, staring out at the area.  
  
"Yes, Caesar, beautiful..." Rini breathed slowly, trying not to panic.  
  
"Caesar...he's the emperor?" Diana whispered to herself alone.  
  
"It's all come together now," Commodus said. "He's mine, and another thorn removed as  
  
well. All...coming...together..." As he spoke, he reached out a hand and began to run it through  
  
her hair.  
  
"Yes, majesty," Rini replied. "As your will be done..."  
  
"Do I scare you, little girl?" Commodus asked.  
  
"Terrified, sir," Rini answered, falling back into a just audible whisper. "You terrify  
  
me..."  
  
"Why?" he asked. "And be honest. Your Caesar commands..."  
  
"Because..." Rini tried to find the right words, "I think...fear...you have...become...sick...  
  
in the mind...my Caesar..."  
  
"Sick?" he mused, then gripped her hair tightly as he leaned in closely. "You think me to  
  
be mad, do you? A small slave thinks me mad?!"  
  
"I only know what I see, my Caesar," Rini whimpered. "And what I see worries me that  
  
you are not as well as you think you are, as well as you should be. Please..."  
  
"Not as well as I should be?" Commodus whispered into her hair, closing his eyes. "I will  
  
be much better...very soon...little slave..." Rini quietly began to weep and shiver, utter terror  
  
filling and contorting her face, while Diana, still half hidden in the shadow of the curtain, stared on  
  
at the interchange.  
  
"Please..."  
  
"Rini...?"  
  
* * *  
  
Belen and Christos had come to Theophilus's chamber with his riding chair, and were  
  
aiding him in dressing when the three Praetorian's entered.  
  
"Theophilus, you are under arrest for aiding in plots against the Emperor!" the lead man  
  
stated. "You will come with us immediately!"  
  
"Very well, I was getting dressed to come out anyway," Theophilus responded. "I don't  
  
suppose you could allow an old, nearly immobile man a few moments to collect his dignity, hm?   
  
Trust me, I'm not going anywhere in a hurry." As the Praetorian stared at him momentarily,  
  
Belen and Christos moved in front of their master defensively, which Theophilus noted with  
  
admiration for their loyalty.  
  
"Three minutes, Theophilus," the lead Praetorian declared, and he led his fellows out of  
  
the room.  
  
"Let's not keep them waiting," Theophilus addressed his carriers.  
  
"Aren't we going to try to escape?" Belen asked.  
  
"We could still make it!" Christos agreed.  
  
"No, you two alone could," Theophilus said calmly as they finished helping him get  
  
dressed. "Unless one of you is inclined to carry me in your arms, I, and therefor you with me,  
  
cannot. For now, we go along with them."  
  
A few moments later he emerged in his chair carried by Belen and Christos, and they all  
  
followed the Praetorian down to the group waiting below. He noted that Lita and a few others  
  
were especially chained, indicating either a struggle to bring them down, or those considered the  
  
most dangerous. Possibly even both.  
  
*Oh, yes,* he thought. *This will be interesting indeed.*  
  
* * *  
  
Cephiro and the dozen and a half men he'd brought with him snaked through the city  
  
quickly, stealth and guile be damned! He wasn't quite sure what the hell went wrong, only that  
  
everything had collapsed at once! Without warning a contingent of what appeared to be either  
  
Legion soldiers or Praetorians, he wasn't sure which, had cascaded down on his business,  
  
claiming authority of the Caesar in regards to a plot against the Emperor. Someone had a very  
  
large, very loose tongue. In moments he had lost track of some of his most loyal, and Fernadus  
  
had plain vanished, along with a healthy dose of his profits!  
  
When things got really bad, he'd done the only thing he could. He'd ordered Cavinus to  
  
take their wives and children and half of the remaining loyal men out the secret route and out of  
  
the city to the secondary compound five days hard ride to the north of Rome. Meanwhile, he  
  
took the other half and decided to see to a final, personal, errand before departing the city  
  
indefinitely. Namely, collecting Pinky's mother for breeding purposes. What better way to land  
  
back on your feet than to produce a series of very unique slaves? And maybe he'd even grab that  
  
blue-haired slave girl he'd seen, if he found her...  
  
The daylight was waning fast unto night when he reached around toward Fertitia Street in  
  
the eastern residential area. He himself had no idea if Ariadne Rex was connected to the  
  
Thernacius Rex Querian had been seeking or not, but like he had said, it was a lead. And then he  
  
turned a corner onto the desired street, and saw a home with the door open, Querian and his  
  
family just inside, and just beyond him the woman of his immediate needs. Without an ounce of  
  
hesitation he charged forward.  
  
"Barvus, what?!" Querian asked, but Cephiro shoved past him. Tersia dove aside against  
  
the outside wall to the left, Querian passing Julia, whom he was holding, over to her. To the  
  
right, a boy, girl, and fair-haired woman holding a pair of cats he'd never seen before, nor cared  
  
about, did likewise.  
  
"Commodus has better spies and hidden men than I dare dreamed, blondie," he grinned at  
  
pinky's mother. "That or I have a traitor in desperate need of immediate termination of  
  
employment."  
  
"I had hoped I'd seen the last of you, you bastard," Serena hissed. "Do I really want to  
  
know what you're doing here?"  
  
"Probably not," Ami quipped, drawing Cephiro's eyes to her presence.  
  
"A two-for-one! How convenient," he drolled, then indicated her and Serena. "Men, this  
  
one and that one, in chains, now! Then we make for the northern boundaries of the city!" Two  
  
men immediately charged inward and flanked Ami, while another moved for Serena. As they did  
  
so, Hrisoula jumped forward.  
  
"I trust you intend to _pay_ for my slave," she barked. "I do not let go of my best  
  
servants lightly." Ami smiled at the compliment, and Cephiro glowered at the middle-aged  
  
woman.  
  
"Hrisoula of Tercham, I presume?" he sneered. "I do not deal with nor take orders from  
  
_women_! Take them!" As the two men started to grab Ami, who instantly began to resist, a  
  
sword suddenly plunged through one, and due to a serendipity of position, he fell right into the  
  
other, the sword plunging into the second man's chest three inches as it continued to move  
  
forward.  
  
Iosif shoved the two men off the sword, then brandished it towards Cephiro. As the third  
  
guard who entered paused to try and figure out what to do, follow his immediate orders or  
  
remove the sudden attacker, Thernacius dove forward, shoved aside the sword arm with one hand  
  
and felled the guard with his own mighty fist!  
  
"You want my beloved? Take her if you can!!" Iosif bellowed.  
  
"As head of this household, I demand you leave!" Tatius stepped up. Ariadne and Vivian  
  
had fallen back further into the house, out of harm's way. "Neither you nor this Querian are any  
  
longer welcome here!" Cephiro stared at the what had happened, thinking quickly.  
  
"Best to cut my losses, then," he decided, and grabbed Serena by the arm roughly, who  
  
screamed.  
  
* * *  
  
As Mina watched from behind, she could tell it was getting bad. *But then again, what  
  
else is new?* she thought. Just then one of the slavers turned and looked at her, then moved to  
  
her with an unpleasant smile on his face that practically screamed, 'I'm gonna take you in my bed  
  
and break you!'.  
  
"My, you're a very pretty lady," he said, leaning close. "I think I'll take you for myself."  
  
"Oh, sir, you flatter me," she batted her eyes coyly, shifting herself suggestively on  
  
purpose to distract his attention. "Not interested," she added, and swung a leg up into his crotch.  
  
As he fell, she passed Luna and Artemis over to Delia and Mikhail, who without a word scooped  
  
them up, and then she swung her hands, held together in a single fist, back into the side of the  
  
man's head. As he fell semi-senseless, she reached down and grabbed his sword, pulling it from  
  
its sheath, and held it out pointed towards the others.  
  
"Next one to get lusty gets far more pain than him!" she declared, and the others  
  
immediately took a minor step back, but she noticed they were all holding the hilts of their own  
  
swords, and no doubt _they_ had a far better idea of how to use them than she did!  
  
As she continued to think about the standoff she'd gotten herself into and how she could  
  
go about getting out of it, she noticed the boy who'd been swooning after Serena, Georgio,  
  
walking up, a sword in one hand...  
  
And then she heard Serena's voice in one of her highest pitched screams!  
  
* * *  
  
As Cephiro attempted to drag Serena from the house, Darien lunged forward, slicing the  
  
slaver's arm with his sword. Cephiro winced and pulled away, staring at him as Darien leveled his  
  
blade at the man's neck.  
  
"Who in Tartarus are you?!" he snapped.  
  
"Her husband," Darien replied simply.  
  
"And he'd like to talk you about our daughter," Serena added, still trying to get loose.  
  
"I hate to interrupt, old friend, but I had first bid on her," Querian stepped up. Darien  
  
swung his arm backward and nailed Querian in the face with the butt of his blade's hilt, the man  
  
instantly slumping down like a sack of bricks. Darien then returned his sword to its previous  
  
position against Cephiro. It was all one smooth motion that would make any soldier proud, and  
  
indeed left Cephiro quite impressed.  
  
"I'm willing to forget that you exist if you leave now and never show yourself before me  
  
_or_ my wife again! And take him with you," Darien stated, nodding his head briefly toward  
  
Querian.  
  
"Really?" Cephiro commented quietly, and suddenly brought his sword up perpendicular  
  
to Darien's with his left hand, knocking it away. He then released Serena for the moment, flipped  
  
his sword into his right hand to sit vertically upright therein, and swung at Darien, who blocked.   
  
Cephiro swung again, Darien parried, tried to disarm his opponent, Cephiro counter-parried, then  
  
swung again, forcing Darien to give ground.  
  
"You think you can beat me?" Cephiro growled. "The only one's in the empire better  
  
than me with a blade are the Caesars! Your woman is mine!" He rose his sword for another  
  
swing, and just as Darien contemplated using the opening to run the son of a bitch through, the  
  
sickening sound of a blade smashing through flesh, hard, was heard as a sword tip shoved through  
  
Cephiro's front from behind.  
  
Cephiro stared at it in shock, his sword slipping from his hands to the floor. From the wall  
  
behind Darien, Zacharias stared, wide-eyed.  
  
"I told you," Georgio's quiet voice said. "Touch my beloved, and your next stop is the  
  
River Styx. See you in Tartarus..." With that, Georgio jerked the sword upward, increasing the  
  
damage to his enemy, and then pulled out the blood covered sword, Cephiro falling lifelessly to  
  
the ground.  
  
As Serena recovered from the shocking ending to the battle, she glanced outside and  
  
noticed that:  
  
A.) Delia and Mikhail were cowering behind Mina while holding Luna and Artemis  
  
respectively.  
  
B.) Mina was standing still, looking a little shocked herself, holding a sword downward  
  
with an unconscious or nearly so man at her feet.  
  
C.) Tersia and Julia had vanished.  
  
D.) Of the remaining fourteen men that had come with Cephiro, nine were wounded and  
  
holding back, three were clearly unconscious, and two were dead.  
  
And E.) Georgio was sporting a small multitude of minor wounds.  
  
"Georgio... I ...I don't know...what..." she finally breathed.  
  
"I know you'll never love me, Serena," he said, turning to her and kneeling before her,  
  
offering her his sword. "But I will always love you...always..." And with that, he proceeded to  
  
pass out from the exertion and blood loss.  
  
"What a mess," Mina quipped as Thernacius and Tatius dove forward and scooped up  
  
their son/grandson and carried him into the house to treat his wounds, Ami diving after to help.   
  
Just then several Imperial guards came up and surveyed the scene. With a wave from the leader,  
  
they began to take the remaining survivors into custody and clean away the corpses. Serena  
  
stepped out and over to the leader, and began to talk with him.  
  
"There's a few in here, too!" Hotaru called from the door, and five or six came in and  
  
collected the bodies of the two guards and Cephiro, as well as the unconscious carcasses of the  
  
third man and Querian. Hotaru grinned to herself as the thought of Querian's reaction to waking  
  
up in prison floated through her mind.  
  
One soldier came over to Mina, and stared at the sword in her hands.  
  
"Took it from him," she pointed at the man at her feet, still only semi-aware of what was  
  
happening around him. "He got a little too personal. Here, you take it. Don't really know how  
  
to use it anyway." She offered the sword to the soldier, hilt first. The soldier scooped up the  
  
slaver quietly, then looked back to Mina.  
  
"Keep it," he said, and drug the man away to a cart his fellows had brought with him. As  
  
night settled fully, the last of the cleanup was finished, and the soldiers departed with their  
  
'cargo', Serena finishing her conversation with the leader.  
  
"And?" Mina and Hotaru asked.  
  
"I gave a statement, apparently someone in the ass's employ sold him out to the Imperials,  
  
they were gonna arrest and execute him anyway," Serena stated. "If he'd left the city he might  
  
have lived longer, dumb bastard."  
  
"Guess that's what happens when you think you have a way of salvaging your 'career'  
  
options, huh?" Mina commented, ushering Delia and Mikhail into the house with one hand,  
  
keeping the sword safely in her other. They all went back inside, Serena closing the front door  
  
behind her as they did, and to the lounge, where the rest of the Rexs, Ami, and Hrisoula were  
  
tending to Georgio. The other slaves - Iosif, Damris, Galea, and Felicia - were jumping  
  
everywhere, getting bandages and clean linen to help. Fortunately, the eldest Rex had served his  
  
time in war, and along with Ami's own medical knowhow, it was going smoothly.  
  
Hrisoula signaled Hotaru, who immediately moved forward to help in any way she could.  
  
Mina set down her new blade next to Darien's, once again securely sheathed, in the hall, and took  
  
Delia and Mikhail upstairs while Serena plopped down next to Darien in the lounge, who was  
  
sitting to the side, holding Zacharias in his lap to keep him from getting in the way of the others  
  
while they worked.  
  
"Quite an evening, huh?" Serena asked.  
  
"Yeah," Darien mused. "So, how'd it go outside?"  
  
"Nothing serious," she sighed, and leaned back, letting the adrenaline ease away.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Okay, this was supposed to be the last chapter, but it's running a little long, so I'm breaking it up,  
  
thus there will be one more than originally planned. Next time, though, it all comes to a (semi)  
  
happy end! So be here for Chapter 13: "Farewells".  
  
R&R please!! 


	13. Chapter 13: Farewells

Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! And now, at long last, the final chapter of the saga.  
  
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that  
  
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.  
  
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to  
  
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.  
  
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.  
  
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.  
  
The theme song for this chapter is "Into The West", by Annie Lenox for "The Lord Of The Rings:  
  
The Return Of The King".  
  
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Sailor Moon  
  
Roman Legends  
  
by Scorpinac  
  
Chapter 13: Farewells  
  
The next morning, Damris came into the bedroom where Georgio had been sleeping, the  
  
boy asleep on the bed, his brother and sister on a pair of straw matts on the floor. She quietly  
  
moved over to the eldest boy, and kneeled beside him. He sported several bandages now, Tatius  
  
and Ami having treated his wounds well, and he was expected, hopefully, to make a more or less  
  
full recovery.  
  
Damris stared at him quietly for a moment, questioning herself. From the moment she'd  
  
first seen him, she'd felt a stirring within her, deep within, but his infatuation with Serena was so  
  
clear, she had ignored it then. But now, with Serena having clearly given him his send-off, and  
  
after battling so hard and being so badly hurt for her afterwards despite it, Damris's heart had  
  
suddenly screamed its wishes aloud to her, and she knew the truth.  
  
It was a rectangle now. Serena and Darien were very much in love with each other, and  
  
Georgio still loved Serena to some degree. And she, Damris, had also opened her heart, and she  
  
believed now that she, too, was in love.  
  
In love with Georgio.  
  
"Seems we both fell in love with someone who didn't want us," she whispered.  
  
"Hmm? Who?" Georgio stirred. He rose slightly, and looked at her. "Oh, it's  
  
you...uh..."  
  
"Damris, sir," she said. "I am Damris."  
  
"Is there a problem?" he asked.  
  
"No, just...seeing how you were..." she replied. "Um...I was wondering...now that Serena  
  
has...well...dismissed you...as a suitor...um...would you ever consider...maybe...me...?" The last  
  
few words had come from her lips as a just barely audible whisper, her eyes falling to focus on the  
  
floor. He stared at her for several moments before speaking again.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"I ...I ...I believe...that I am in love with you..." she finally found the courage to look back  
  
up at him. "I'll be twelve in two months, and by law able to be wed, if my lady, Hrisoula, allows  
  
it. And...I was...hoping...never mind..." Her eyes fell again as she lost her voice a second time in  
  
so many minutes. He just looked at her again, then lied back down. To Damris's surprise, he  
  
took her hand in his.  
  
"I'll think about it," he said quietly. At the doorway, Zacharias watched quietly, all  
  
smiles, then quietly zoomed away back to the room he shared with Iosif, who had just awoken  
  
and stepped out. He stared down at the little boy.  
  
"What're you doing, Zacharias?" he asked.  
  
"Damris an' Georgio are talking 'bout gettin' married," Zacharias answered. "Told ya'  
  
she liked him, just like you like Ami."  
  
"Really? Huh? What do you know?" Iosif mused. Just then, Ami came up.  
  
"Zacharias, could you leave me and Iosif alone for a moment?" she asked, and the little  
  
boy quickly went into the bedroom. Iosif stared at Ami, who quietly swallowed.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"Iosif, about what you said yesterday, when you killed those slavers who tried to grab  
  
me..." Ami started.  
  
"I said what is in my heart," Iosif cut in, laying a hand gently on her arm. "I love you,  
  
Ami, and if you would, I would like you to be with me for the rest our lives, as my..."  
  
"And that's the problem," Ami cut back in, feeling herself begin to tear up a bit, her voice  
  
starting to get slightly choked. "I never meant for something like that to happen, for someone to  
  
fall in love with me, or for me to feel...the way I fear I'm starting to feel for you..."  
  
"Why?" Iosif asked. "What is wrong with it? Am I not 'pleasing' to you?"  
  
"No, of course not," Ami replied. "You are very handsome...but...you deserve to know  
  
the truth, before this goes any further...because...I don't think I could live with myself if I left and  
  
you didn't know the _real_ reasons why...Iosif...I'm not who you think I am..."  
  
* * *  
  
Rini sat quietly, watching the sunlight enter the room through the window. After her  
  
"talk" with the Caesar, she had been tossed in this room, a guard placed at the door, and orders  
  
given for her not to be let out until further notice. She now feared her honesty would cause the  
  
end of her life, either by being fed to the lions, or, worse, on a cross.  
  
Just then, the servant who'd been cleaning vegetables with her the previous afternoon  
  
came in with a plate of bread.  
  
"I 'magine you must be hungry, dearie," she said. "By the way, they call me Veneria, just  
  
so's you know."  
  
"Rini," she replied, and began nibbling at the bread.  
  
"So what you do this time? Brag about netting the Prince's lips all to yerself?" Veneria  
  
asked.  
  
"No..." Rini answered quietly. "Caesar wanted to know if I was afraid of him, ordered me  
  
to be honest, so I said yes, because...I think he's going insane..."  
  
"You told th' Emperor of Rome he's nuts?!" Veneria stared at her. "Not that I think yer  
  
wrong on that..."  
  
"Not in those words," Rini whispered back. "Just that I thought he was...sick...in the  
  
mind...do you know what's gonna happen to me?"  
  
"No idea," Veneria said. "He might just forget about you, if he lives..."  
  
"Lives?" Rini blinked, feeling a surge of hope. "What do you mean?" Veneria glanced at  
  
the guard, who'd been partly listening. He glanced around the halls, then nodded to Veneria to  
  
continue.  
  
"He's at the Colosseum," Veneria said. "An' I hear tell he's gonna fight Maximus  
  
hisself!"  
  
"He is?" Rini stared, then her face got very serious. "Then, for both my sake and the sake  
  
of the Empire, let us pray to whatever gods lay in Heaven that Maximus wins, just one more  
  
time..."  
  
* * *  
  
Salina stirred as the morning light entered the room, and rubbed her eyes. Thankfully, the  
  
pain in her arm from where the arrow had grazed her was far less now, and she could move it  
  
without trouble. She glanced to bid Rini good morning...except she wasn't in her bed.  
  
*Huh?* she thought. *She must be up already...*  
  
"Are you the other slave who was...bought...with Rini?" a small, female voice, whispered  
  
to her from the shadows.  
  
"Yes...?" Salina whispered back, before noticing that Lucius was gone, too. "I'm Salina...  
  
who are you? Where are you?"  
  
"I'm Diana," the voice replied. "I'm a friend of Rini's, and I need your help."  
  
"But where...?" Salina's eyes kept scanning around for this "Diana". Could it possibly be  
  
the Goddess, herself? Could Rini be a...  
  
"I'm right behind you," 'Diana's' voice replied, and as Salina started to turn to look, it  
  
snapped, "NO! Don't look, please. Just listen. The Caesar was talking to Rini last night, scaring  
  
her, and he had her put in another room with a guard on it. I'm scared he might be planning to  
  
hurt her after he gets back from the Colosseum. He's crazy!"  
  
"A lot of us feared as much," Salina agreed. "Even Rini. What do you want me to do...  
  
Goddess?"  
  
"Well," 'Diana' said. "For starters..."  
  
* * *  
  
Darien straightened the blue tunic as he came down the stairs and helped himself to a loaf  
  
of bread on the kitchen table. He noted that Serena, Ariadne, Felicia, Galea, Vivian, Delia,  
  
Hotaru, Damris, and Hrisoula weren't about. *Already at the baths, I guess,* he thought. He'd  
  
gone to the Roman public Baths of Trajan the previous afternoon with the other males of the  
  
household, and while cleansing himself with sweat and massaged in oils was definitely different  
  
from what he was accustomed to, he had to admit it did work...sorta.  
  
Past that, and the fact that women simply bathed earlier rather than having their own  
  
"side" of the baths, it wasn't all that unlike attending a Japanese public bath back home, really.   
  
Per se. *Who am I trying to convince?* Darien asked himself. He would like some good old  
  
fashioned soap, but that could wait. At least if he smelled at all, it was of the same oils as  
  
everyone else in the city.  
  
"Morning, Darien," Thernacius greeted him. "How fares you?"  
  
"Oh, same ol' same ol'," Darien replied. "How's Georgio?"  
  
"Recovering, he's resting upstairs for now," Thernacius replied. "Thank you."  
  
"Hey, he's a good ki...man," Darien said. "Even I believe he truly loves Serena now,  
  
going through that many armed and well trained guys to help her an' all."  
  
"Yes," Thernacius agreed. "Now if I could just think of a way to mend his heart as well  
  
as we did his body..."  
  
"I think," Darien commented quietly, "Only time can do that."  
  
"Possibly," Thernacius agreed. "Possibly." Just then, Iosif came downstairs, looking  
  
dazed and perplexed, followed by Ami, who looked like she felt she'd just made a great error.   
  
She glanced at Darien a moment, then shuffled out the main door.  
  
"She's going to catch up with the others at the Baths," Iosif commented offhand, then  
  
turned and stared at Darien.  
  
"She told you, didn't she?" Darien asked. "We all told her it was a bad idea..."  
  
"What are you?" Iosif whispered. "Are you really...from days not yet to dawn?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Thernacius blinked. "What's all this?"  
  
"It is..." Darien searched desperately for the right words. "As she said it is. No more.   
  
No less. Whether you believe it...is your decision."  
  
"What?" Thernacius stared between them. "What'd she tell him? She already have a  
  
fiancee waiting for her? A hint? A clue? And what was that about days not dawning?"  
  
"I don't know what to think..." Iosif commented quietly, ignoring Thernacius. "Or what  
  
to believe..."  
  
"Actually, I think I'd call that the right start," Darien smiled warmly.  
  
"Could someone please let me in on the secret?" Thernacius beseeched.  
  
* * *  
  
Salina moved through the palace quickly, and found the room where Rini was downstairs,  
  
the guard there looking very bored. Salina went over the plan that 'Diana' had outlined for her,  
  
and waited for the goddess's agent to come and distract the guard. She wasn't completely sure  
  
what form it would come in, but she waited all the same.  
  
A moment later, a small grey cat wearing a red piece of cloth around its neck with a tiny  
  
gold bell hooked to it jumped on the guard's head, and started scratching at his cheek. He  
  
winced, batted at it, trying to knock it off, and then it bit his finger. He roared, and the cat  
  
jumped to the floor and ran as the guard, momentarily blinded by anger, chased after it.  
  
*Okay, my turn,* she thought. *Thank you, goddess!* She moved forward quickly, and  
  
saw Rini sitting inside the room, staring towards the window.  
  
"Rini! It's me!" she called, gaining her friend and fellow slave's attention. "The goddess  
  
Diana has sent me to take you to freedom. Come on!"  
  
"Goddess?" Rini blinked, then groaned. "That stupid little...I thought I told her to go..."  
  
"You told a goddess to go?" Salina stared. "No matter, we must fly!"  
  
"We can't!" Rini replied, standing up. "We promised!"  
  
"And the Goddess says that Caesar is threatening to kill our master, Lucius, if Lady  
  
Lucilla does not do all that he bids, and he may decide to kill us soon as well! The Goddess has  
  
told me of a way we can get out unseen, Rini, hurry!"  
  
"NO!" Rini snapped forcefully. "I'm not going! I won't break my promise!"  
  
"But Rini..." Salina pleaded, feeling sure their time was running out. The goddess's agent  
  
couldn't keep the guard distracted forever.  
  
"The last time we tried to get away, we got caught, _whipped_!!" Rini answered, her eyes  
  
brimming tears. "Do you _really_ want to have that happen again?!"  
  
"At least we tried!!!" Salina screamed, finally losing herself. "It was your idea to make a  
  
bid for freedom then, remember!!"  
  
"And I was wrong!!!" Rini yelled back. "I never should have talked you into it!! Aren't  
  
you mad at me?! It was my fault!!" Her eyes were now actively beginning to leak tears.  
  
"You didn't have to talk me into anything!!!" Salina yelled. "I _wanted_ to escape, to be  
  
_free_ again!! I still do!!"  
  
"But if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been flogged!!!" Rini screamed. Now they  
  
were both starting to cry, though for opposing reasons.  
  
"It was worth it!" Salina snapped back. "It would have been worth a hundred, nay, a  
  
_thousand_ lashes, _because we tried!!!!_" Rini stared at her friend for a moment, and finally  
  
rubbed her eyes dry and moved forward.  
  
"If they catch us, they might kill us this time, rather than the twelve lashes Cephiro  
  
originally promised us," she warned.  
  
"We don't belong to Cephiro anymore, and as far as I'm concerned, we never _did_."  
  
Salina replied. "Are you ready now?" Rini stared for a moment, then smiled.  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she replied. She still felt very nervous about this, but she  
  
didn't want to argue about it anymore, either. Together they scooted out of the room...and right  
  
into the returning guard, who looked as though he'd been watching for a while now.  
  
"There's a balcony over there," he gestured. "I think you can almost get a view of the  
  
action from it, if it's the Colosseum you two are wanting to go to, as that's where your master is  
  
right now."  
  
"Uh..." Salina gulped.  
  
"If you wouldn't mind," Rini said quietly, and the guard walked them over. As it was,  
  
they could almost make out the action, but only of a white and black blur batting back and forth  
  
against each other in the middle of a distant ring of purple...  
  
"The Goddess will not be pleased..." Salina whispered quietly to herself.  
  
Behind them, Diana poked her head out from behind a pillar where she chose for the  
  
moment to hide. *Darn it, Rini! Why'd you have to stall?! I just wanna make up for failing you  
  
before...*  
  
* * *  
  
Lita had become somewhat accustomed to being in a cell, even under the Colosseum, but  
  
this time was different. Things were extra tense, and not in a good way. It was early afternoon,  
  
and Caesar Commodus had just entered the arena with Maximus, one-on-one! The only others in  
  
the arena being a ring of Praetorians directly around them.  
  
She watched intently with the others from the barred windows around the base of the  
  
arena, which didn't help much with several legs between them and the action. Her own interest  
  
was personal. After all, if the Caesar knew she'd been hired to kill his nephew, or believed  
  
Barvus Cephiro wanted her to kill him, then she could very well be next!  
  
"Are you all right, Lita?" Vassos asked. He and Urian stood next to her to her right,  
  
along with Semon to her left. Both the gladiators of Theophilus's camp and Proximo's, who  
  
rumor had it was killed in the night, shared the area, everyone on heavy edge.  
  
"Yes and no," she replied, and a thought, a burning one, crossed her mind. *Well, may as  
  
well ask now, I could be permanently dead soon!* "Vassos, Urian, Semon...do you guys...love  
  
me?" she asked, a little more timidly than she honestly meant to. Vassos quietly took her hand in  
  
his own, and smiled.  
  
"I think I first became enchanted when you stood up for yourself and Adara back in  
  
Derorium," he told her. "Nothing has dissuaded me since." Urian laid a hand on her shoulder,  
  
also wearing a smile.  
  
"The moment we first sparred," he said. "And then confirmed and flamed to full during  
  
your very first arena battle. I can no longer imagine my life without you in it, Lita the  
  
magnificent." And then Semon laid his hand on her left.  
  
"I'm not sure when I began to care for you," he said. "But well before we left to Rome,  
  
that, my love, I am sure of."  
  
"Almost seems moot now, though, don't it?" Lita asked, finding herself smiling as well.  
  
"To be honest," Vassos said, "We'd be lying if we said we hadn't been speculating on  
  
which one of us you'd eventually pick, if any..."  
  
"And each of us hoping quietly it would be our own self," Urian added.  
  
"And each wondering how the others would react when you did decide," Semon threw in.  
  
"Thanks, guys," Lita said. "For everything..."  
  
And then suddenly, all went deathly quiet.  
  
As she and the others waited, Maximus said something they couldn't quite hear, and then  
  
called out that;  
  
"There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus  
  
Aurelius."  
  
"Free the prisoners! Go!" the lead Praetorian, Quintus, commanded loudly. A few  
  
moments later, the cell doors opened, and all were released. Following the flow, Lita walked up  
  
after them into the arena, and took a deep breath at what she saw there. The war, such as it was,  
  
between Commodus and Maximus, was over.  
  
"Is Rome worth one good man's life?" Lucilla, who had also entered the arena, asked  
  
Gracchus, who was nearby. "We believed it once. Make us believe it again." She then turned to  
  
the whole crowd and stated loudly, "He was a soldier of Rome! Honor him."  
  
"Who will help me carry him?" Gracchus called out, and every gladiator there, including  
  
Lita, and even little Lucius, who had also come down with his mother, moved forward to form the  
  
procession...  
  
* * *  
  
In the third level of seats of the Colosseum, hidden in among the still stunned and silent  
  
crowd, three people were musing on what they had seen. One was a white male with curly red  
  
hair and brown eyes, one was a woman with straight black hair tied off in back in a pony tail, and  
  
the third was a young man of Native American descent with short black hair and black eyes. All  
  
were dressed for the era, but if one looked closely, one would quickly realize that _none_ actually  
  
belonged in it.  
  
"Well, that was thrilling," the first male commented.  
  
"We done here? I'm tired of this silly dress. It's just not me," the woman asked.  
  
"And this was supposed to happen?" the second male queried.  
  
"In order of asking, just about, Carol," the first man replied. "And, yes, Sentohanta, this  
  
event was well recorded in your people's history. 'Course, someone later mangles it, says it was  
  
thirteen years later and in his bed by pillow smothering, but..."  
  
"Okay, I'm going back to the TARDIS," Carol stated. "This dress is killing me!"  
  
"I've had enough, too, John," Sentohanta added as he and Carol got up. At that moment  
  
much of the crowd was getting ready to leave.  
  
"Okay, fine, holiday's over, happy?!" John asked as he rose himself.  
  
* * *  
  
A couple of hours later, Lita was in the palace, before Lucilla and Lucius, answering  
  
question after question about the incident with her arrow the previous day. With Commodus  
  
gone, Rini had been released from her guard, and she and Salina were also present.  
  
"And you swear it was only an accident?" Lucilla asked for what felt like the thousandth  
  
time.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Lita replied. "And might I add, if I _ever_ see Barvus Cephiro again, he  
  
won't be walking away from the encounter, at least not intact."  
  
"That would be a moot point now," Lucilla stated. "Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian  
  
Cavinus are dead. Barvus was killed by a commoner while attempting to capture two women  
  
from the residential district, and Darvinian and several of his men were killed by the group of  
  
Praetorians who were stationed at the outskirts of the city where my brother had been expecting  
  
them both to try and escape through. Those men who survived have been incarcerated until  
  
further notice. In the meantime, his business has been turned over to the charge of the man who  
  
let us in on Cephiro's plots, Paulius Firandos."  
  
"Well, I guess that ties up that little loose end nicely," Rini couldn't help but smile at  
  
learning her enslavers' final fates. "Losers!"  
  
"That's enough," Lucius decided. "So, now what?"  
  
"I suppose we return her to Theophilus," Lucilla commented. "Nothing else to do with  
  
her."  
  
"You could..." Lita took a breath, then continued. "Free me..."  
  
"That we could," Lucilla agreed. "But give us one reason."  
  
"I can think of none," Lita admitted. "Out of curiosity, I am told that Barvus and  
  
Darvinian had families. What happened to them?"  
  
"Families?" Rini blinked, then her mind flashed to the one time they had "visited" her  
  
while she was still imprisoned at Cephiro's compound. "Oh, yeah....them..."  
  
"They are also being held, for now," Lucilla said. "Quintus, take Lita back to  
  
Theophilus." Lita nodded quietly, smiled at Rini, and followed Quintus out. Once back at the  
  
compound, she was greeted merrily by her friends, including, to her surprise, Serena and the other  
  
Senshi. Quintus bid them adieu, and left. Belen and Christos came up with Theophilus, all of  
  
whom grinned happily.  
  
"We almost thought you lost, my dear," Theophilus greeted her. "Welcome back."  
  
"Me, too," Lita replied. "Fortunately they believed me. Why are you all here?" The last  
  
was to her fellow Senshi.  
  
"When we heard what happened earlier in the Colosseum, we all came right here to see if  
  
you were okay," Rei answered. "Too bad, really..."  
  
"Yeah, he was one in a million," Lita agreed. "So, Theophilus, now what?"  
  
"As a matter of fact," Theophilus smiled, and withdrew one hand from his shirt, holding  
  
something out to her.  
  
Her wand.  
  
"What?" Lita stared.  
  
"By the General's final command, we are all free, my love," Vassos explained. "And  
  
apparently Theophilus was having this returned to you, anyway."  
  
"Huh?" Lita blinked. She knew about the last command, but getting her wand back was  
  
something else. And up till now she wasn't even sure if Theophilus was going to honor  
  
Maximus's words or not.  
  
"Yes, though Theophilus could have chosen to ignore it," Semon continued. "But in his  
  
memory, he has decided to honor his requests. As to your bauble, I was bringing it to you last  
  
night, on Theophilus's own request, when the Praetorians came in and took us."  
  
"And your friend's offer of seven hundred and fifty gold also sweetened it for him," Urian  
  
added slyly.  
  
Lita digested it all for a moment longer, and then finally reclaimed her transformation  
  
wand. The power to become Sailor Jupiter was her's once more.  
  
"So...I'm free to go?" she asked.  
  
"I'm hoping you'll stay on," Theophilus said, a wistful look in his eyes. "You still have so  
  
much potential..."  
  
"But I am..." Lita took a deep breath. "Am I really...?"  
  
"Yes, my dear," Theophilus said. "You are free. Will you...hug an old man goodbye?"   
  
Grinning, Lita moved forward and wrapped her former master in her arms. "If the gods had  
  
granted me children," he said as he released her and stared into her eyes, "I don't think they could  
  
have given me one more wonderful than you."  
  
"Thanks," Lita whispered, and gave him a quick kiss on the head.  
  
"The planets," Theophilus whispered.  
  
"Huh?" she blinked at him.  
  
"The symbols on your baubles aren't for the gods, they're for the planets, aren't they?" he  
  
whispered again. She stared, then smiled warmly.  
  
"You're smarter then I gave you credit for," she whispered to him. "And you're  
  
absolutely right, but don't tell anyone, okay?" He nodded assent, and then handed her the red  
  
leather armor vest she had made her own.  
  
"I'd like you to keep it, to remember us," he said, and she took it into her hands  
  
gratefully.  
  
"I'll treasure it," she told him. She then went over to Semon, Urian, and Vassos, and  
  
gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek, telling them all that they would always be like brothers  
  
to her, before rejoining her friends.  
  
"It's almost over," she said.  
  
"We just need to get Rini," Serena agreed.  
  
* * *  
  
As the afternoon wore on toward evening, Rini noted a restlessness among the peoples of  
  
the palace. She wasn't quite sure what was up, but something told her it probably wasn't good.   
  
*of course,* she thought, *I could be just imagining things...*  
  
The Senators were all over the palace, talking and discussing the ramifications of the days  
  
events. Namely, who was to rule the Empire now. From what she heard, they didn't feel  
  
generally comfortable with putting Lucius immediately on the throne, since he was still a child and  
  
not yet a full Roman citizen. And she caught on pretty quick that since she was a woman, there  
  
was no chance in hell of Lucilla ever being placed on the throne, not even as a regent while Lucius  
  
grew up.  
  
*I hope it works out okay,* she thought as she headed to Lucius's room with a tray  
  
holding a platter of food for him, as well as a second one for herself, as he had asked her to eat  
  
with him that evening. The thought had occurred to her that the Senators might decide to appoint  
  
a new Emperor ad litem. But if they did, she worried whoever they appointed would never let go,  
  
and maybe even decide to kill Lucius to keep him from challenging the man's reign after he came  
  
of age.  
  
"Problem, Rini?" Lucius asked her as she came in. She walked over to his bed and set  
  
down the tray, and served him his meal quickly and efficiently.  
  
"Just wondering what the Senators are gonna decide," she replied. "I guess I'm a little  
  
worried they'll decide to get rid of you and put a new grown-up in charge."  
  
"I'm kind of worried about that myself," Lucius admitted. "And I'm even more scared  
  
about being the Emperor. I mean...I'm just a boy...I don't know how to be in charge of people...I  
  
mean...you and Salina and the other slaves is one thing, but the Empire...the whole of Rome  
  
itself... I... I just don't..." Rini raised one hand and placed a finger on his lips, hushing him. She  
  
smiled warmly.  
  
"I understand," she said. "Maybe more than you can imagine..." And she wasn't lying to  
  
him, either. There were many times she wondered if she'd be really able to take control of Crystal  
  
Tokyo if her parents were suddenly struck down somehow before she had reached full maturity.   
  
And many times she didn't think she could, at all! For the second time in the last two days, she  
  
felt herself drowning in his eyes, and wondering if she'd still have the strength to leave even if she  
  
was freed.  
  
"Rini... I..." Lucius stuttered, also slipping away into the reddish-brown orbs before him,  
  
and wondering if Venus really cared much about when she sent her son, Cupid, to make a match  
  
with his majestic arrows. Because if she didn't, then he was sure this was their work in  
  
progress...and somehow he didn't mind that too much...  
  
Or maybe they were both just reading far too much into this moment...  
  
"Lucius?!" a voice cracked through their moment, and they turned to see Salina at the  
  
doorway, looking very apprehensive. "I just overheard one of the Senators saying there's gonna  
  
be an emergency meeting...to choose a new Emperor! And I think one of them said something  
  
about you and your mother not being here in the morning!"  
  
"What?!" Lucius shrieked, then calmly thought it over, and made a quick decision.   
  
"Salina, go and tell my mother. Rini, we need to eat, quickly...."  
  
"Right, we may not have much time!" Rini agreed, and as Salina took off for Lucilla, she  
  
and Lucius quickly, but neatly, finished their meal and set the plates on the tray, deciding together  
  
quietly not to worry about them for the moment.  
  
Just then, they heard heavy shuffling and moved to the entrance of the room to see the  
  
shadows of guards heading their way. Feeling panic chill her blood, Rini grabbed Lucius's hand  
  
and drug him out of the room and into the shadows in the hall. As they watched from relative  
  
safety, the guards came around the corner and marched into Lucius's bedroom.  
  
"Where is he?!" one of them snapped. "Senator Borias wants him in the dungeon before  
  
morning!" *Yep, total usurpation!* Rini thought.  
  
"What they gonna do with'em?" another voice asked.  
  
"Lucilla may possibly be tossed in a brothel," the first voice commented as the sounds of  
  
Lucius's things and furniture being tossed around willy nilly reached their ears. "As for the  
  
'Prince', I think Borias said something about the galley slaves?" This brought sinister chuckling  
  
all around. Rini felt her blood become like ice at this. She heard what galley slaves were - men  
  
chained in a boat and forced to row it onward when there was no wind, constantly whipped  
  
and/or beaten to keep them going. The thought of Lucius sent to that disgusted her, and her lost  
  
courage was rekindled.  
  
At long last, the will to attempt a full escape was reborn to her! Holding Lucius's hand  
  
tightly, she drug him through the palace, intent on slipping out the main entrance and heading to  
  
Theophilus's compound, hoping that the man who "owned" Lita would give them a place to hide!  
  
As she charged forward, Salina reached them on her way back.  
  
"My mother?" Lucius asked.  
  
"I couldn't find her!" Salina said, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"It may be too late to help her!" Rini stated, and grabbing Salina by the hand with her free  
  
one, began once more heading through the palace corridors. "Right now, we have to worry about  
  
ourselves! C'mon!"  
  
"Where are we going?" Salina asked.  
  
"Out the front! And then to Theophilus's!" Rini said. "From there we'll see about  
  
reaching my mother, she can help!"  
  
"But they'll expect us to try the front entrance!" Lucius snapped, bringing them to a halt.   
  
"We need another way out!"  
  
"Salina, do you still remember that hidden way to get out of here you mentioned before?"  
  
Rini asked her friend. She presumed it was also the same exit Diana had mentioned the previous  
  
night to her.  
  
"Uh...uh...uh..." Salina stammered. "I... I... I think...I think it's..."  
  
"Meow!" a small voice floated up to them, and they all looked down to see Diana at their  
  
feet, looking up at them happily.  
  
"Diana's agent!" Salina beamed happily. "She helps us still!"  
  
"The Moon goddess?" Lucius blinked. Rini tried to keep from groaning, but then Diana  
  
meowed again, and started to trot away.  
  
"She wants us to follow her!" Salina stated, smiling. "Diana has sent her to guide us to  
  
the safe exit!"  
  
"Then let us do so," Lucius decided, and the three quickly followed the cat through  
  
further corridors, behind drapes, around corners, past large pillars, and finally to a giant red drape  
  
that covered almost an entire wall. While they had moved, Salina had filled in Lucius about her  
  
earlier 'visitation' and attempt to save Rini from Commodus's madness. Both girls were relieved  
  
when Lucius forgave her for the attempt, since it was under the guidance of a goddess. The cat  
  
nudged one end of the drape, and Salina lifted it, revealing... nothing...?  
  
"What?" Salina stared, dumbfounded. "But...? Has the goddess abandoned us? Is she  
  
punishing me for failing her before?"  
  
"I think not..." Lucius said, staring at the wall carefully. Rini also stared, and then felt a  
  
tug at her heel, and glanced down to see Diana tugging at her with her teeth.  
  
"Yes?" Rini asked quietly, expecting Diana to tell her what to do.  
  
"Meow!" Diana meowed loudly, then turned, trotted over to a pillar with a bust on it, and  
  
hopped up to the top of the bust and started batting at the tasseled pull rope hanging just above it,  
  
seemingly intent on 'killing' it.  
  
"I think I have an idea," Rini said, and walked over to the pillar, stood up on tip-toe, but  
  
was still off by about a few inches or a foot...maybe two... So she jumped up, and grabbed it, and  
  
let gravity do the rest. A moment later, a six and a half foot door opened in the seemingly blank  
  
wall, and Diana hopped down and pitter-pattered inside. Salina stepped in next, and Lucius and  
  
Rini started follow together when a voice was heard behind them.  
  
"Hey! They're going through some kind of secret passage! Get them!" the voice yelled,  
  
and they turned to see some of the guards coming. One had a bow and arrow set, and knocked  
  
one bolt, aimed...  
  
"LUCIUS!!" Rini screamed, shoving him aside, just as the arrow flew, and landed with a  
  
sickening _THUNK_...in Rini's side. She felt herself go quiet for a moment as her body  
  
processed what had happened to it, feeling the wetness of blood leaking out around the arrow and  
  
blemishing her beautiful white dress, oozing down her side and onto her leg, heading resolutely  
  
for the ground below...  
  
"RINI?! NO!!!" Lucius screamed himself, catching her in his arms as she flopped from  
  
shock right into them. At the same time she felt a rage boiling within her, even as the other  
  
guards drew ever closer to them. And a power...a power she hadn't felt since the last Droid in  
  
the Time Gate, since the two Droid brothers who attacked her school, who attacked Melanie,  
  
who attacked her friend...  
  
*But the Crystal's not...or...did it ever really need...to...be...* her mind pondered, and then  
  
pure instinct took over as the crescent moon symbol returned to her brow, and she turned and  
  
fired with almost deadly ferocity a burst of energy that blew all the guards, even the one with the  
  
arrow set, who had just finished knocking a second one, back down the hall into a mass of  
  
crumpled heaps! A yell of rage escaped her lungs as she did so, and the burst and symbol  
  
subsided, and she drooped limply in Lucius's arms.  
  
"Rini?!" Lucius stared, trying desperately to comprehend.  
  
"How did she?" Salina stared in shock from the passage, having stopped and turned back  
  
to look when she heard Rini's yell.  
  
"I... I... I don't...I don't know..." Lucius breathed, his own mind still muddled.  
  
"It's...something...oh... I...don't...think...you'd...believe..." Rini moaned through the pain,  
  
not even sure where or how to begin.  
  
"Hurry!" Diana's voice called from the darkness. "Take the passage out of the palace,  
  
and then follow my agent! She will lead you to Rini's mother, and there you will find a girl born  
  
with a gift from me and the other gods, a gift that will let her save your friend before she dies!   
  
Hurry, before it is too late! When you find Serena, ask for Hotaru, and tell her what I have said!   
  
Now go!!"  
  
"Yes, oh goddess!" Lucius and Salina agreed, and together they took hold of Rini and  
  
carried her through the passage, which suddenly closed behind them, Diana was able to operate  
  
the corresponding mechanism, and they quickly moved forward.  
  
"That...little...genius..." Rini breathed to herself, a smile returning to her lips. Whenever  
  
they felt they were turning the wrong way, Diana would meow, and they would follow the sound  
  
of her small voice. After what felt like too long for their young minds, they emerged out onto a  
  
side street, and saw Diana sitting just ahead.  
  
Without hesitation, they followed her through the streets of Rome, sometimes passing  
  
through back alleys and side streets to avoid attention, until finally they moved into the residential  
  
district, and to a relatively simple two story home. Before they could reach the door, Diana  
  
hopped up to window, worked open the wooden shutter, and slipped inside...  
  
* * *  
  
"Okay, we've freed Lita, though it cost us a chunk of change," Serena mused. "In theory  
  
there's enough left to get Rini, but right now the whole palace will probably be on high alert while  
  
they figure out who's now in charge."  
  
"Won't it be the Prince?" Hotaru asked. "Isn't he next in line?" They were sitting in the  
  
lounge area after dinner, and talking about the current remaining problems. The current priority  
  
was freeing Rini, though they had Hrisoula saying she planning to leave for Tercham on the next  
  
caravan north, which be passing Rome in only four days. This, of course, meant that they would  
  
have to talk with Hrisoula about buying Ami and Hotaru's freedom sooner than they had honestly  
  
hoped that they would have to.  
  
All the Senshi were together for the moment, Hrisoula was upstairs, and the slaves, minus  
  
Ami and Hotaru, were either in the kitchen or the laundry. Georgio was still recovering,  
  
physically and in all other ways, and his mother and sister were currently looking after him while  
  
his grandparents discussed the family's plans with Thernacius in the dining room. Mikhail and  
  
Zacharias were also in the room, playing with some old toys to burn the time before bed, though it  
  
was clear that both were getting very tired. Luna and Artemis were snoozing quietly in Serena  
  
and Mina's laps, respectively, and there had still been no sign at all of Diana all day.  
  
"I doubt he's any older than Rini, possibly even younger," Ami stated.  
  
"So?" Hotaru blinked.  
  
"If I remember my history classes," Mina said, "Boys were made official citizens of the  
  
Roman Empire when they turned fifteen, and girls upon their wedding, which was permissible as  
  
young as twelve."  
  
"Twelve?!" Hotaru screeched. "Are you saying that when Eleutherios tried to grab me..."  
  
"There was a relatively lengthy courtship tradition in this time, Hotaru," Trista said  
  
calmly, though her own hate of the man who dared to try to steal her adopted daughter's  
  
innocence and womanhood was just barely hidden underneath. "If not all parts were completed  
  
satisfactorily, the marriage was considered null. But yes, he considered you a full woman in the  
  
law, as well as in his twisted lusts..."  
  
"And think of the time we're in," Serena pointed out. "It's a miracle if any of these  
  
people live to see past fifty or above. Marrying young and reproducing quickly was necessary for  
  
maintaining the survival of the human species!"  
  
"Okay, that proves it!" Rei stated. "You've been lying to us all this time, Serena! You've  
  
been playing dumb just to torture us!"  
  
"Please, Rei, you give me far too much credit," Serena waved her off with a faux haughty  
  
air.  
  
"Hey, it doesn't take brains to notice the clearly obvious," Amara pointed out.  
  
"After all," Michelle commented, "How many people in the city have you noticed that are  
  
pushing fifty? Or sixty? Or seventy?"  
  
"Not many," Hotaru admitted.  
  
"Because they're in the minority here," Ami stated. "It's just the way it is."  
  
"Okay, so he's not fifteen or a full citizen yet," Hotaru accepted. "How would that stop  
  
him from..."  
  
"Arguably it shouldn't," Serena agreed. "I mean, I know if something eliminates me and  
  
Darien before she's come of age, you guys will make sure that Rini is firmly placed on the  
  
throne...with certain temporary restrictions, of course."  
  
"Of course!" Mina agreed.  
  
"You doubt us?" Rei faked, rather badly, being emotionally wounded, then chuckled  
  
lightly.  
  
"Heaven forbid she have too much power too soon," Darien stated. "And that's what the  
  
Roman Senators will most likely be afraid of. They may name someone Emperor ad litem until  
  
Lucius Verus comes of age and is named a full citizen, or they may...uh...you know..."  
  
"Sudden, mysterious disappearance?" Amara grinned. "It's what I'd do."  
  
"What about his mom?" Hotaru asked. "She could be regent!"  
  
"And she's a woman," Trista sighed. "And women, sadly..."  
  
"History sucks..." Hotaru slumped on the floor. Just then, a meowing reached their ears,  
  
and they turned to see Diana looking excessively pensive.  
  
"Hey, where on earth have you been, young lady?" Serena asked crossly.  
  
"Making up for my previous failure, majesty," Diana replied quietly. "Hurry, the door!"  
  
"Huh? What about the door?" Mina asked, and then a heavy knocking came, causing  
  
them to jump slightly.  
  
"I'll get it!" Ami called aloud, and rose and walked into the main entrance hall and opened  
  
the door to see who could be there at that hour. "OH MY GOD!! SERENA!! DARIEN!!   
  
COME QUICK!!" she screamed loudly, and everyone poured into the area to see what us up, the  
  
cats snapping awake. As they reached the area, Hrisoula, Vivian, and Delia came down the stairs  
  
from the second floor, Thernacius, Tatius, Ariadne, and the four slaves emerging from the rear.  
  
"Hurry, get inside," Ami cried as she moved out and helped their visitors in - Lucius  
  
Verus and the red-headed slave girl carrying an injured Rini, who had an arrow sticking out of her  
  
left side. Serena and Darien gasped loudly at the sight, and shot forward.  
  
"I didn't do it!" Lita shrieked. She was still feeling some guilt from what had happened  
  
the day prior.  
  
"What happened?!?!?!" Serena grabbed the boy and yelled at him.  
  
"We were betrayed," Lucius stated. "Rini saved my life...again...the Moon Goddess  
  
Diana sent an agent to guide us here."  
  
"The goddess sent you an agent to guide you?" Mina blinked. "Who...wait, Diana? Why  
  
you..." She couldn't help but grin down at the small grey kitten at her feet.  
  
"Yes, that!" Lucius pointed at the kitten. "She said the gods had given someone here a  
  
gift, a gift that could save her. Please, where is this Hotaru?"  
  
"Yeah...she actually...did...something...right..." Rini breathed slowly. "Is it...cold...in here  
  
...or is it...just...me?" she started to go even limper in the other two children's arms.  
  
"No! Rini! Don't leave us!" the red-headed girl cried out.  
  
"RINI!" Galea and Felicia cried out, despite themselves.  
  
"I'm here!" Hotaru bolted forward before anyone could stop her, and she stared at her  
  
small friend who now looked so frail, her face beginning to pale, her side below the arrow  
  
seemingly saturated with blood. Darien grabbed the wooden shaft without a thought, and pulled  
  
it free from his daughter.  
  
"But what...?" Thernacius and Tatius started to say, and then Hotaru rose her hands over  
  
the wound, and they began to glow. They glowed for several tense moments, sweat beading  
  
down Hotaru's brow as she focused her mind, her heart, all that she had on saving her dearest  
  
friend. *No!* she mentally swore at Death. *You can't have her! Not today! Not _ever_!!! I  
  
won't let you have her!!*  
  
"What is she...?" Ariadne started to move to get closer, but Iosif and Damris cut her off.  
  
"It's alright," Damris whispered.  
  
"She's helping," Iosif added. "She's saving her." They waited a few moments more, and  
  
then the color was restored to Rini's cheeks, and Hotaru fell backward into Trista's arms, who  
  
had moved up to sit behind the young girl. A moment later, Rini blinked, and sat up again.  
  
"Huh?" she blinked. "Is this Heaven?"  
  
"Not yet," Serena choked out as she held her daughter's hand tightly. Behind them, Ami  
  
quickly shut the door and latched it.  
  
"Momma?" Rini stared widely, "Is it you?"  
  
"Yes, sweety, you're safe," Serena replied through happy tears. Rini smiled, and began to  
  
cry too, staring at all her friends around her.  
  
"Is Hotaru...?" she asked slowly.  
  
"Just exhausted," Trista smiled. "She'll recover with a little bed rest."  
  
"But how?" Vivian asked, still dumbfounded. Lucius glanced at Rini's wound, which now  
  
no longer existed.  
  
"A healing touch," he said with a smile. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."  
  
"No...problem..." Hotaru gasped for breath. She felt utterly spent!  
  
"Hey?!" Rini blinked as she saw the others in the back as she was carried toward the  
  
lounge, as was Hotaru. "Salina, isn't that Felicia and Galea?"  
  
"Huh?" the red-headed girl turned, and for the first time noted their presence. "Hey,  
  
you're right! What are you two doing here?!"  
  
"We live here now," Felicia smiled.  
  
"Lady Ariadne bought us," Galea furthered.  
  
"Rini," Lucius spoke up, intruding on the reunion as Rini was set down on a couch. "You  
  
have saved my life twice, and I have only one I can truly repay you..." He reached into his tunic,  
  
and pulled out a small, gold key. Rini gasped as a broader smile came to her lips, and her spirits  
  
soared. Lucius placed the key into a slot in the gold bracelet on Rini's right wrist, and twisted,  
  
bringing a long awaited "click-clack-pop" sound, and the bracelet opened. "I return yours to  
  
you..." Lucius said.  
  
"I'm free..." Rini felt the happy tears flow freely. "I'm finally free..."  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning Rini stepped up to a window, opened it, and breathed deeply. It  
  
smelled nice...free. *I'm really free!* her mind sang. Rini, Salina, and Lucius had spent the night  
  
in Darien and Serena's Room, Ami migrating to Hotaru and Damris's room for the night. Rini's  
  
bracelet currently sat on a dresser, as she had decided to keep it, as a memento.  
  
Hotaru had spent the night recovering, after telling their "hosts" that she hadn't revealed  
  
her special "talent" for healing before out of fear that they would have her burned as a witch.   
  
They had told her they understood her fears, and forgave her, and then Amara, Michelle, Trista,  
  
Rei, and Mina had left for the night, cleaning up much of the blood trail as they went, as far back  
  
as nine blocks away, leaving them with enough breathing room to avoid detection. Lita had also  
  
gone with them, as she felt it best to be somewhere "neutral".  
  
Rini glanced behind her, confirming for the umpteenth time that her parents were really  
  
there. She wasn't sure why, but the air smelt so much nicer now that she wasn't a slave anymore.  
  
Maybe it was just the thrill of being able to breath it in as a free spirit, able to choose her own way  
  
in life once again.  
  
"Rini?" Serena's voice called up, and she turned to see her mother extricating herself from  
  
the bed and Darien. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, momma," Rini replied. "Everything's wonderful!" Serena smiled, and hugged her  
  
daughter one more time, then blinked as she ran her hands across her back.  
  
"Turn around," Serena said. Rini blinked, but did as she was told. Serena lifted up her  
  
dress to look at her back, and gasped.  
  
"Is it that bad?" Rini asked, feeling a sadness reach her eyes at the reminder of her one  
  
unwanted keepsake of Rome. She had glanced at the reminders of her "punishment" from  
  
Cephiro in a mirror a few times, but even that wasn't a perfect view of what he had his men do to  
  
her for trying to run away.  
  
"No...Rini...the scars...they're gone!" Serena ran a hand over Rini's once again perfectly  
  
smooth back.  
  
"Huh?!" Rini's eyes became plates. "But how...?"  
  
"Hotaru..." Serena sighed. "She did more than we thought. No wonder she was  
  
exhausted...."  
  
"Oh, Hotaru..." Rini sighed as well. "Thanks..."  
  
* * *  
  
At breakfast, Thernacius said he was going to take his wife and children back home, to  
  
Tarria. He offered Lucius and Salina the chance to come with them, for their safety. If anyone  
  
asked, he would say he found them abandoned on the roadside, and took them out of kindness.   
  
After a few moments of thought, Lucius agreed, and Salina was only too happy to go that  
  
direction away from Rome.  
  
"Maybe..." she said. "Maybe someday I can find my home...and find my brother, if he's  
  
still alive..."  
  
"Rini...come with me..." Lucius asked her. "Please?"  
  
"Lucius, I...I'm not headed that way..." Rini replied, a small sob in her throat.  
  
"Where...where are you..." Lucius replied back, a sob in his throat, too.  
  
"We're heading west," Serena said. "I hear Fra...Gaul is nice this time of the year. And  
  
right now we want be many, many leagues away from Rome."  
  
"When...when do you..." Georgio tried to ask, but couldn't quite get himself to say it.  
  
"Hopefully, today," Darien said. "Just as soon as our five friends rejoin us...and we take  
  
care of one final piece of business..."  
  
"What kind of business?" Hrisoula asked.  
  
"Yeah, what?" Rini piped up. "I'm free, Lita's free, what else is there to do other than  
  
pack our few belongings and souvenirs and go?" Serena smiled warmly, and patted her daughter  
  
on her shoulder. Just then, Hotaru came up behind Georgio and rose her hands, which  
  
immediately began to glow. A moment later they stopped, and she lowered them, Georgio  
  
suddenly looking much refreshed. It had taken most of his current energy to get downstairs, but  
  
now he looked better than ever. He pulled off one of his bandages, and stared at the flawless skin  
  
beneath it.  
  
"Thank you..." he breathed as he began removing the rest.  
  
"That's okay, I felt I owed you, since I could've done this before...but didn't..." Hotaru  
  
said, lightly blushing.  
  
"You already explained that, your fears were not invalid," Tatius said. "But thank you, all  
  
the same." Breakfast was finished quickly thereafter, and everyone came out to help pack up the  
  
Rex's cart, and see Thernacius and his family off. First the family said goodbye to Tatius and  
  
Ariadne, saying they'd come visit again in due time.  
  
Then Damris said goodbye to Georgio, telling him she'd come see him again...someday...   
  
After that, Georgio and his family turned to Serena and her family.  
  
"Goodbye Serena," Georgio said, tears in his eyes. "I'll miss you...Darien, if you _ever_  
  
make her sad again..."  
  
"Expect a sword in my back?" Darien grinned. "Got it, no problem."  
  
"Goodbye, Georgio," Serena kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for hurting your heart,  
  
but I believe there is someone out there, waiting for you. Or maybe," she glanced toward Damris,  
  
"already within sight..."  
  
"Maybe..." Georgio said.  
  
"Goodbye, Georgio, Mr. and Mrs. Rex. Thanks for taking care of my mom..." Rini said.  
  
"It was an honor," Thernacius told the child, smiling. Rini turned to Salina and Lucius,  
  
and gulped back a sob.  
  
"Lucius, Salina, I...I don't know what to..." she felt the tears brimming in her eyes.  
  
"Me either," Salina said, also starting to cry. She had already said her farewells to Felicia  
  
and Galea, and wasn't sure what to think anymore. "I...I hope that...someday...we can..."  
  
"Me, too," Rini said as she hugged her friend. "Me, too."  
  
"I'll never forget you, Rini," Lucius smiled, and she took his hand and slipped something  
  
into it as she gave him a hug, too. He glanced at it, a smile filling his face - a single lock of her  
  
hair.  
  
"Me neither, Lucius," she replied. "Thanks for everything..." With that, the Rexs climbed  
  
aboard, Thernacius aiding Lucius and Salina up, and they departed as the Outer's, Mina, Rei, and  
  
Lita strode up.  
  
"So, everyone's getting ready to go, huh?" Lita asked. She lifted the somewhat heavy  
  
looking bag she carried with her. "We're all packed and ready to split, too. You guys?"  
  
"Me and Darien sorted all our things out and they're, along with what few things Rini has,  
  
packed and ready," Serena nodded.  
  
"Only one thing left," Darien agreed.  
  
"What?" Rini asked. "What's left?" In answer, Serena and Darien went back inside, and  
  
a few moments later he came down with their own bag, which he set down for the moment, and  
  
she held their moderately heavy money bag, which Rini had been informed had been earned  
  
originally for her benefit, to buy her back. Serena turned to Hrisoula, opening the bag carefully as  
  
she did so.  
  
"Lady Hrisoula, how much of this would I have to give you...to buy Ami and Hotaru's  
  
freedom?" she asked.  
  
"HUH?" Rini felt her eyes super-enlarge for the second time that day. Hotaru quickly  
  
leaned into her friend and whispered into her ear about how she and Ami were house slaves  
  
owned by Hrisoula. "What?!" Rini screeched, turning and grabbing her friend by her dress.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"  
  
"I guess I...didn't think it was important..." Hotaru admitted. "I mean, we had it easy,  
  
simple servant stuff only, never gave her a reason to give out lashes or anything...pretty much no  
  
trouble at all, except for Eleutherios trying to rape me an' all. But Amara killed him, so that's  
  
water under the bridge now anyway..."  
  
"Huh? Who? Wha?" Rini blinked, totally not following.  
  
"You want me to free them?" Hrisoula ignored the two girls for the moment. "Why?"  
  
"Because they're my friends," Serena said. "Even if you aren't being cruel to them, I  
  
want them to be free, and...I want them to come with us..." Serena felt herself faltering, unable to  
  
find the words to properly express how she felt about this, why she wanted this. Hrisoula stepped  
  
up, glanced inside the bag, and took out forty gold.  
  
"This should be enough to get me and my remaining staff and ward," she glanced the last  
  
to Zacharias, "back home to Tercham. Though I think I'm being robbed of the best help I've ever  
  
owned in my life. Ami, Hotaru, you have paid your debt several times, and I now release you.   
  
Unless you'd prefer to stay in my service?"  
  
"Really?" Hotaru's eyes glowed. "We're free?!"  
  
"Yes," Hrisoula nodded. "But I would like you to continue serving me, if you like?"  
  
"Thank you for the offer, Hrisoula," Ami replied as Hotaru bolted inside, "But our rightful  
  
place is with Serena and our friends. I'm sorry..." She then turned to Iosif, who smiled sadly.  
  
"I know," he said. "I'll miss you..." Ami walked up to him, and handed him a lock of her  
  
own hair, giving him a brief kiss as she did so.  
  
"I'll miss you too, Iosif..." she said. Rini made her farewells to Felicia and Galea, who  
  
once more congratulated her on her freedom, as they'd been doing almost ever since her bracelet  
  
came off. Serena and the others said goodbye to Tatius, Ariadne, Hrisoula, and Damris, then  
  
turned to the small Zacharias.  
  
"Do you have 'ta go?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, sweetie, we do," Serena replied. "I'm sorry..." Zacharias gave her a big hug, then  
  
gave hugs to the other girls, and even gave Darien a squeeze.  
  
"Thank you for 'tecting me," he said.  
  
"No problem," Darien replied. "No problem." Hotaru then reappeared with her and  
  
Ami's bag, all packed and ready, set it next to Darien, Serena, and Rini's, then turned and said her  
  
own goodbyes, giving Hrisoula and Damris each a hug as she did so.  
  
"I knew you were a witch," Damris whispered to her. "Take care, my friend."  
  
"I will," Hotaru grinned. "Just don't make me hex you." They both chuckled lightly. She  
  
then rejoined her friends, Ami and Darien picked up the other two bags while Serena took Rini's  
  
hand, planning to keep a death grip on it until they were back in the twentieth century, and  
  
carrying the still heavily loaded money bag in the other, and together they walked through the city  
  
until they emerged onto the fields, then turning west, they departed the city of Rome forever.   
  
Some time later, when the city was out of sight and it was as safe as it could be, Trista summoned  
  
the Garnet Rod, and transported them to the Gates of Time, and then back to the future...er...  
  
present...whatever....  
  
* * *  
  
At the same time, at the palace of Rome, the Senators appeared before the crowd, who  
  
were waiting expectantly.  
  
"Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your ears!" one proclaimed. "We, the Senate, have  
  
met over the night, and have chosen a new Emperor, in lieu of the young, unready Prince Lucius  
  
Verus! We now present him to you. We give you...CAESAR PERTINAX!!"  
  
A man walked forward, ready to address his people.  
  
But that is another story...  
  
The End.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I can't believe I finished it! Has it really been two years since I started? My god...where did the  
  
time go? I thought it would take so much less time to do... Oh, well, it's done! My masterpiece  
  
is COM-PLE-TED!! Okay, now restraining inner Dexter...  
  
Little note here: There really was a Commodus and Lucilla in the history books, and  
  
Commodus was in fact suffocated in his bed after reigning solo for thirteen years(he thought he  
  
was Hercules near the end!). As for Lucilla, she's mentioned in Commodus's entry in the  
  
encyclopedia, but has none of her own, therefore I have no idea whatsoever as to what happened  
  
to her after her attempted conspiracy to dethrone her insane brother(probably executed for  
  
treason...) And the only Lucius Verus in the books is the one who co-reigned with Marcus  
  
Aurelius for about ten years before he died. I have no record of him ever having a son... And  
  
Pertinax was the next guy who ruled after Commodus...for three months...  
  
And yes, the Johnathan who appeared in the brief side scene _is_ the same man who  
  
helped Trista previously. If you don't know about Doctor Who and Time Lord regeneration,  
  
look up the Doctor Who pages on the BBC website, it'll tell you all you need to know. But in  
  
short, that's why he didn't come with the other Senshi, he knew he was already there,(Okay he  
  
didn't know _exactly_ when they would arrive in Rome, but why take chances?) and didn't want  
  
to risk "running into himself".  
  
I hope you all enjoyed this piece de resistance, despite minor errors, and maybe someday  
  
I'll risk an equally long marathon...just not anytime soon...  
  
Well, R&R, please! Thank you for reading! 


End file.
